A U.S. official said that Iran might launch another attack in the Middle East, after an ongoing investigation has indicated the country is responsible for the September attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities.
“It’s the trajectory and the direction that they’re on. The attack on the oil fields in Saudi was stunning in the depth of its audaciousness. I wouldn’t rule that out going forward.”
The attacks come as “Iran is under extreme pressure” because of the strict sanctions President Donald Trump’s administration has imposed on the country. Iran’s attacks have been an attempt to “crack the campaign” and provoke the United States into responding.
“Deterrence assumes there is going to be a rational actor on the other end,” he said. “There is a basic recklessness and irresponsibility to their actions that makes you very concerned about what they might do tomorrow or the next day, and that’s very concerning.”
At a defense conference in Bahrain over the weekend, he said that partners in the region need to come together to face Iran.
“Unfortunately, sometimes the Iranian regime has proved itself to be the bully in the neighborhood. And the only way to stand up to a bully is to do it together.” McKenzie told the audience. “It’s a great big world, and there’s a lot of water to cover.”
A senior defense intelligence official told reporters on Nov. 19 that Iran is trying to work through proxy groups in the region. The country tries to support “any groups that will help advance their strategic goals,” the official said.
“We see Iran’s goal here as, one, trying to deter attacks on Iran, and we also see Iran wanting to be able to project its power and influence in the region and secure that dominant regional presence that they seek to have, partially because it provides them strategic depth, but also to be able to advance their interests a little bit more and leave them less vulnerable,” the official said.