Iran carried out drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities, alleges senior US offi

Washington: A senior US official claimed that Iran carried out the drone attacks on the Saudi oil facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais on Saturday. The official told a news channel that Iran attacked the Saudi oil facilities with cruise missiles and more than 20 drones. However, Iran has dismissed the US accusations for the second consecutive day.

A senior official from the Trump administration told a news channel that Iran had launched the drone attacks on the Saudi oil facilities. The official highlighted that in the past, the Houthis had not accepted the responsibility for the attacks on the Saudi oil pipelines. The official added that Iran had targeted the Saudi oil installations with a dozen cruise missiles and more than 20 drones.

The Houthi rebels in Yemen have accepted the responsibility for the Saudi oil attacks. Additionally, the Houthi rebels have even issued a fresh threat to Saudi saying that they would continue to target their oil facilities even in the future. Nevertheless, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asserted that the Houthi rebels did not have the capacity to attack the oil facilities, situated nearly 1,000 kilometres from the Yemen border. Pompeo further said that there was no evidence of the attacks originating from Yemen.

The US intelligence agencies published satellite images of the Saudi oil facilities to substantiate Pompeo’s claims. “About 17 to 19 locations have come under attack in the Abqaiq facility, and all the attacks were made near the eastern boundary of the facility. The Abqaiq oil facility is close to the Iran and Iraq border, and therefore Iran is more responsible than the Houthi rebels, for the attack”, the US intelligence agency claimed. Also, the US House Intelligence Chairman, Adam Schiff said that Iran was behind the attacks on Saudi.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi intelligence agency claimed that Iran had used the Iraqi territory to launch attacks on the Saudi oil facilities with drones. Albeit, the Iraq government has dismissed the statement.