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Ulviyya Poladova

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An Iranian military official denied Tehran’s involvement in attacks launched from Iraq against Saudi Arabia, rejecting allegations that Iran was behind the latest attacks on the Kingdom, AzerNEWS reports.

In response to comments by Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister, the Iranian official told state broadcaster IRIB that attributing attacks against U.S. interests in the region to Tehran was "a serious mistake stemming from a lack of understanding of the situation in the region."

The statement came after Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense said its air defense forces had intercepted and destroyed several drones attempting to target oil facilities in the Kingdom’s Eastern Province. According to the ministry, the drones were launched from Iraqi territory by groups backed by Iran.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said U.S. and Saudi forces had carried out joint precision strikes against targets belonging to an Iran-linked group in Iraq. It said the United States targeted facilities associated with attacks on Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure.

Saudi Arabia invoked Article 51 of the UN Charter, stating that the attacks had been launched from Iraqi territory against the Kingdom’s oil facilities and that the retaliatory strikes were carried out in self-defense.

Riyadh also warned that military action would continue if Iran-backed groups carried out further attacks against the Kingdom.