Saudi will 'defend itself against Iran', Jubeir warns amid security threats

Saudi Arabia will not hesitate to defend itself against Iran, a top Saudi diplomat said on Sunday, after Trump warned Iran would face destruction if it seeks a fight.

Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs, spoke a week after four oil tankers - two of them Saudi - were targeted in an alleged act of sabotage off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and days after Iran-allied Yemeni rebels claimed a drone attack on a Saudi oil pipeline.

"The kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not want war in the region and does not strive for that... but at the same time, if the other side chooses war, the kingdom will fight this with all force and determination and it will defend itself, its citizens and its interests," al-Jubeir told reporters.

Both US President Donald Trump and al-Jubeir’s comments were made after a rocket hit close by to the US Embassy in Baghdad.

On Sunday night, the US military command that oversees the Middle East confirmed an explosion outside the US Embassy compound in Baghdad and said there were no US or coalition casualties.

A US State Department spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that "a low-grade rocket did land within the International Zone near the US Embassy."

The spokesman said that "attacks on US personnel and facilities will not be tolerated and will be responded to in a decisive manner" and added that the US will hold "Iran responsible if any such attacks are conducted by its proxy militia forces or elements of such forces."

Earlier, after initial reports of the attack, Trump tweeted a warning to Iranian leaders: "If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!" Trump tweeted.

Meanwhile, a senior Iranian military commander was quoted as saying his country is not looking for war, in comments published in Iranian media on Sunday.

Fears of armed conflict were already running high after the White House ordered warships and bombers to the region earlier this month to counter an alleged, unexplained threat from Iran. The US also has ordered nonessential staff out of its diplomatic posts in Iraq.

Trump had appeared to soften his tone in recent days, saying he expected Iran to seek negotiations with his administration. Asked on Thursday if the US might be on a path to war with Iran, the president answered, "I hope not."

Sunday night's apparent rocket attack was the first such incident since September, when three mortar shells landed in an abandoned lot inside the Green Zone.

Iraqi military spokesman Yahya Rasoul told The Associated Press that a Katyusha rocket fell near the statue of the Unknown Soldier, less than a mile from the US Embassy.

He said that the military was investigating the cause but that the rocket was believed to have been fired from east Baghdad. The area is home to Iran-backed Shia militias.

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