Saudi Arabia tells Iran its land, airspace won't be used in strike

Dubai: Saudi Arabia has informed Iran it will not allow its airspace or territory to be used to attack it, two sources close to the kingdom's government told AFP on Wednesday, as Washington threatens Tehran with possible military strikes.

The message was conveyed as the United States warned it could respond to an Iranian government crackdown on protests, while Tehran has said it would strike US military and shipping assets in the event of a new attack.

Meanwhile, US embassy in Saudi Arabia urged its personnel to exercise 'increased caution'.

"Saudi Arabia has informed Tehran directly that it will not be part of any military action taken against it, and that its territory and airspace will not be used for that purpose," a source close to the Saudi military told AFP.

A second source close to the government confirmed that message had been communicated to Tehran.

The US has military assets in the Gulf, including in Saudi Arabia.

Qatar statement

Earlier, Qatar said the removal of some personnel from Al Udeid Air Base was in response to “current regional tensions”.

In a statement, Qatar’s International Media Office said the country “continues to implement all necessary measures to safeguard the security and safety of its citizens and residents as a top priority”.

It added that steps were under way to ensure the protection of critical infrastructure and military facilities.

President Trump said Tuesday that the United States would react strongly if authorities in Iran started hanging people in their crackdown on a popular uprising against the government.

“We will take very strong action if they do such a thing,” he told CBS News in an interview, when asked about hangings potentially beginning on Wednesday.

'Help on its way'

“When they start killing thousands of people - and now you’re telling me about hanging. We’ll see how that’s going to work out for them,” Trump said in a video clip released online.

The interview took place as Trump was in the northern US state of Michigan to visit a manufacturing plant and deliver a speech on the economy.

In his speech, Trump reiterated a message he had posted earlier on social media, that “help is on its way” for the Iranian protesters.

He also said it was unclear what the death toll in Iran actually was.

“I hear numbers - look, one death is too much - but I hear much lower numbers, and then I hear much higher numbers,” he said.

Later, speaking to reporters on his return to Washington, Trump said he would soon be receiving a briefing on Iran.

“The killing looks like it’s significant, but we don’t know yet for certain. I’ll know within 20 minutes - and we’ll act accordingly,” he said.