Fires broke out at two facilities of Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s state-run oil producer after they were reportedly hit by drones on Saturday.
The two facilities are located in Abqaiq and Khurais. (Photo: Twitter videograb | @Sumol67)
With the United States targeting Iran for the blasts at the Saudi oil infrastructure, Tehran has sent Washington a diplomatic note denying any role in drone attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities. Iran has also warned that it would respond to any action against it.
The formal memo sent on Monday through the Swiss embassy, which represents US interests in Tehran, “emphasised that Iran has not played any role in this attack”, the official IRNA news agency said.
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It said Iran “denies and condemns claims” by US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that it was behind the attacks.
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“It was also emphasised that if any actions are taken against Iran, that action will face an immediate response from Iran and its scope will not be limited to just a threat,” IRNA said.
Fires broke out at two facilities of Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s state-run oil producer after they were reportedly hit by drones on Saturday.
The two facilities are located in Abqaiq and Khurais, Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry said.
Saturday’s attack is the latest part of a series of attacks on oil infrastructure, including the sabotage of pumping stations along the East-West pipeline, and attacks on oil tankers off Fujairah and close to the Strait of Hormuz.
The blasts were claimed by Yemen”s Huthi rebels, who enjoy support from Iran and have been targeted by a Saudi-led air campaign that has helped trigger a humanitarian catastrophe.
However, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has denied the claims saying, “There is no evidence the attacks came from Yemen.”
Meanwhile, the US hopes that the UN Security Council takes up the attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities.
“We do see a role for the UN Security Council to play,” a senior US official said on Tuesday.
The official said that Saudi Arabia, as the target of the weekend blasts, needed to take the lead in seeking action by the Security Council but that the United States first needed to prepare information for release.
The attack on the oil infrastructure has disrupted about half of the Kingdom’s oil capacity or 5 per cent of the daily global oil supply.
Amidst heightened tensions in the region, Pompeo has embarked on a two-day visit to the Middle East.
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