ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry has unveiled evidence linking its archrival Iran to last weekend’s attacks on its state-owned oil installations. The revelations come as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives in Riyadh to discuss potential retaliation.
The Saudis believe the weapons used to strike its Aramco facilities were Iranian-made, but until now it has stopped short of directly blaming Tehran for the attack.
The attack halved Saudi Arabia’s oil production and sent shockwaves through the global oil market.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who have fought a five-year war with the Saudi-led coalition, claimed responsibility for the attacks.
However, Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki cast doubt on the claim that drones or cruise missiles thought to have been used in the attack could have reached the facility from Yemen, calling this a “false narrative”.
Speaking at a press conference in the Saudi capital on Wednesday evening, the defense ministry spokesman said the evidence and calculations based on the range of such weapons suggests the attack came from the north.
“The attack was launched from the north and unquestionably sponsored by Iran,” Maliki said. “We are working to know the exact launch point.”
This raises questions as to whether the attack originated from Iran or even from Iraqi territory, where Iran-backed militias have a significant presence.
That the attack was sponsored by Iran is “undeniable”, he added.
Debris from the attack was presented at the press briefing including parts of an Iranian-made delta-wing UAV drone and a “Ya Ali” cruise missile.
Three cruise missiles hit the facility before Saudi air defense batteries blocked further impacts, the spokesman said.
Eighteen UAVs and seven cruise missiles were fired in total, he added.
The spokesman called the attack an “affront to international law” and “an assault on the international community”.
“We call the international community to condemn this Iranian brutal attack,” he said.
Speaking to reporters before landing in Jeddah late on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Pompeo said: “This is an attack of a scale we’ve just not seen before.”
“The Saudis were the nation that were attacked. It was on their soil. It was an act of war against them directly.”
Tehran has denied involvement and warns it will retaliate “immediately” if targeted.
Speaking at a press conference in New York ahead of the 74th United Nations General Assembly, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said “the Saudi attacks should be condemned”.
“The Saudi attacks are not acceptable and impose threats on the entire region,” he added.
UN experts are expected to head to Saudi Arabia soon to lead an international inquiry, diplomats told AFP.
Tensions have been rising in the Persian Gulf region since the US withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Since then, Washington has piled sanctions pressure on the Iranian economy and its oil sector to force Tehran to scrap its nuclear program.
Tehran has responded by boosting its nuclear program and seizing foreign vessels passing through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
This is a developing story…
