WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for Saturday’s drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities.
He dismissed a claim by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels that they had attacked the two facilities, run by state-owned company Aramco, saying “There is no evidence the attacks came from Yemen.”
“Tehran is behind nearly 100 attacks on Saudi Arabia while Rouhani and Zarif pretend to engage in diplomacy,” Pompeo said in a tweet early Sunday. “Amid all the calls for de-escalation, Iran has now launched an unprecedented attack on the world’s energy supply.”
Tehran is behind nearly 100 attacks on Saudi Arabia while Rouhani and Zarif pretend to engage in diplomacy. Amid all the calls for de-escalation, Iran has now launched an unprecedented attack on the world’s energy supply. There is no evidence the attacks came from Yemen.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) September 14, 2019
Saudi Arabia’s energy minister said the strikes had reduced crude oil production by 5.7 million barrels a day – about half the kingdom’s output, as BBC reported. This could have a significant impact on world oil prices.
The attacks also come against a backdrop of continuing tension between the US and Iran, following US President Donald Trump’s abandonment of a deal limiting Iran’s nuclear activities and reinstatement of sanctions, the report said.
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