Attacks on Saudi oil facilities an act of war by Iran: Mike Pompeo

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denounced strikes on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure as an act of war by Iran.

This was an Iranian attack, Pompeo told reporters on his plane before landing in Jeddah, calling it an act of war.

Pompeo later held talks with Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman to weigh with the US ally a response to the strike.

“The US stands with Saudi and supports its right to defend itself” he added in his tweet, warning that the “Iranian regime’s threatening behavior will not be tolerated.”

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Met with #Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman today to discuss the unprecedented attacks against Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure. The U.S. stands with #SaudiArabia and supports its right to defend itself. The Iranian regime’s threatening behavior will not be tolerated.

— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) September 18, 2019

Yesterday, Saudi Arabia displayed Iranian drones and cruise missiles that it said were used in an attack against Aramco facilities at the weekend.

The attacks were “unquestionably” sponsored by Iran but investigations are still underway to pinpoint the exact launch location, defense ministry spokesman Col. Turki Al-Maliki said at a news conference in Riyadh.

However he said that the strikes came from the north and definitely not come from Yemen, where Houthi militants claimed they had been launched from on Saturday.

He said a total of 25 drones and missiles were launched at Khurais oil field and Abqaiq processing plant.

They included Iranian Delta Wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and “Ya Ali” cruise missiles. The same missiles have been used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, he said.

“The attack was launched from the north and unquestionably sponsored by Iran,” he told a news conference. “The evidence… that you have seen in front of you, makes this undeniable.”