British Prime Minister Boris Johnson accused Tehran of being behind attacks on Saudi Aramco oil installations, in remarks to reporters en route to New York where he is to meet with Iran’s president.
“I can tell you that the UK is attributing responsibility with a very high degree of probability to Iran for the Aramco attacks,” he said, according to Britain’s Press Association news agency Monday.
After world’s largest oil refinery in Saudi Arabia was attacked by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on September 14 oil prices surged more than 10 percent on Monday.
The attack on two major Saudi Aramco oil factories in Abqaiq and Khurais provinces on Saturday slashed output in the world’s top producer by half, with US President Donald Trump blaming Iran and raising the possibility of a military strike on the country.
The attack by Tehran-backed Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is bogged down in a five-year war, effectively shut down six percent of the global oil supply. Brent soared almost 20 percent at one point on Monday, while WTI surged around 15 percent before paring the gains.
Trump said Sunday the US was “locked and loaded” to respond to the attack, while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, “The United States will work with our partners and allies to ensure that energy markets remain well supplied and Iran is held accountable for its aggression.”
Tehran denies the accusations but the news has revived fears of a conflict in the tinderbox Middle East after a series of attacks on oil tankers earlier this year that were also blamed on Iran.
“Tensions in the Middle East are rising quickly, meaning this story will continue to reverberate this week even after the knee-jerk panic in oil markets this morning,” said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at OANDA.