Foreign Affairs

A Saudi Military Official Says Iranian Weapons Used In Attacks On Global Oil Supply: REPORT

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Iranian weapons were used in attacks against Saudi Arabian oil installations that make up a large amount of global crude supply, The Washington Post reported Monday morning, citing a Saudi spokesman.

The attacks did not originate in Yemen and that investigations are underway to determine the launch location, Col. Turki al-Malki, a spokesman for a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, said in a televised briefing, according to WaPo. His remarks come as Yemen’s Houthi rebels threaten additional attacks on Saudi oil installations just days after claiming an assault Saturday on the facility.

“We assure the Saudi regime that our long hand can reach wherever we want, and whenever we want,” spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement, noting that the drones used in the attack were modified with jet engines. (RELATED: Report: Drone Strikes On Saudi Oil Facilities Wipe Out 5% Of Daily Global Oil Supply)

Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman attends the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Mecca, Saudi Arabia May 30, 2019. Picture taken May 30, 2019. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS

World leaders are avoiding laying explicit blame on Iran, or any other country for that matter. “In terms of who is responsible, the picture is not entirely clear,” British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said, Reuters reported Monday morning. “I want to have a very clear picture, which we will be having shortly.”

Fires resulting from the strikes disrupted the production of 5 million barrels of oil per day, or about 5% of the daily global oil supply, reports show. Saudi Arabia’s regular production level is 9.8 million barrels a day, CNN Business reported Saturday night. Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil producer and contributes about 10% of the world’s total supply.

President Donald Trump said late Sunday that the U.S. is prepared to respond.”There is reason to believe that we know the culprit,” the president said in a tweet. The U.S. is “locked and loaded depending on verification,” he said.