At a press conference, the Saudi government showed fragments of the drones and other weapons allegedly used in the attack on oil installations on Saturday. According to the Ministry of Defence, there is “irrefutable evidence” that Iran was behind the attack.
In a large hall in the capital Riyadh, the Saudi Ministry of Defence has exhibited dozens of debris that were allegedly used in the attack. According to the Saudis, these are both drones and cruise missiles fired from the north at the oil installations of Abqaiq and Khurais, the largest in the world. “And not from Yemen anyway. Iran is irrefutably behind these attacks.”
A total of 25 Delta Wing drones and so-called Ya Ali cruise missiles were reportedly fired from Iran. The exact location from which the weapons left is not yet known. Only when there is more clarity about this, action will be taken, it sounded. A spokesman for Defence, Colonel Turki al-Malki, did not want to answer the question of what kind of action that would be.
More penalties
US President Donald Trump has in the meantime instructed the Ministry of Finance to “substantially increase” sanctions against Iran following the attacks. “I have just instructed the Secretary of the Treasury to substantially increase Sanctions on the country of Iran!” Trump Tweeted this afternoon.
Washington is pushing up its campaign of maximum pressure on Iran. It started after the United States withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and the superpowers.
Tensions increased this week following the attacks on large Saudi oil installations, claimed by the Houthi rebels in Yemen, allied with Iran. Saudi Arabia and the US blame Iran for the attack, although Tehran denies the accusation.
The Houthi rebels take the blame and claim to have carried out the attacks in retaliation against Saudi bombing during the civil war in Yemen over the past four years. According to them, the satellite images that the US made of the damage were “manufactured”.
Iranian President Hassan Rohani said earlier today that Iran would only consider talks with the US if Washington expressed goodwill and stopped its “maximum pressure” campaign.
