President Donald Trump on Sunday evening tweeted that the US has “reason to believe that we know” who is responsible for an attack on a Saudi Arabian oil field and the country is “locked and loaded depending on verification” following the crippling strike.
See Details: Two Major Saudi Arabia Oil Installations Hit by Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Drone Strike
“Saudi Arabia oil supply was attacked. There is reason to believe that we know the culprit, are locked and loaded depending on verification, but are waiting to hear from the Kingdom as to who they believe was the cause of this attack, and under what terms we would proceed!” Trump said.
Saudi Arabia oil supply was attacked. There is reason to believe that we know the culprit, are locked and loaded depending on verification, but are waiting to hear from the Kingdom as to who they believe was the cause of this attack, and under what terms we would proceed!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2019
Trump’s statements followed comments from earlier by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pinning the blame on Iran for the Saturday attacks, which shut down production on roughly 5% of the world’s daily production of crude oil, equal to about 5 million barrels.
See Details: Satellite Images Show The Scale Scale Of Destruction At Saudi Oil Field Hit By Houthis Drone Attacks
“Amid all the calls for de-escalation, Iran has now launched an unprecedented attack on the world’s energy supply,” Pompeo said in a tweet on Saturday.
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
Yemen’s Houthi rebel group claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying it used drones to set the two major oil facilities ablaze. But Saudi and US officials have cast doubt on that narrative, arguing that evidence suggested the attack was launched from Iran.
See Details: U.S. Official Accuses Iran Of Drone Attack That Knocked Out Half Of Saudi Arabia’s Oil Production
A senior US official told media, including Reuters, that evidence indicated the attacks were launched from west or northwest of the facilities, the direction of Iran. The official added that Saudi officials had suggested those responsible might have used cruise missiles to launch the attack.
Tehran has denied allegations that it orchestrated the attack. An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, said on Sunday that Pompeo’s statements were “obscure and meaningless” for diplomatic progress, the semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported.
