‘Preliminary results’ show Iranian weapons used in oil plant attack – Saudi-led coalition

Iranian weapons were used in drone attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure this weekend, Saudi-led coalition said refraining from directly blaming Tehran as Washington did. Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility.

Speaking at a press conference in Riyadh on Monday, coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said the attacks were still under investigation, but said early findings pointed to Iranian involvement.

“The preliminary results show that the weapons are Iranian and we are currently working to determine the location… The terrorist attack did not originate from Yemen as the Houthi militia claimed,” al-Malki said, adding that the coalition would soon reveal the location from where the drones were launched.

Though Washington immediately blamed the attacks on Iran, with US President Donald Trump tweeting that the US was “locked and loaded” and ready to respond, Tehran has denied any involvement and called the accusations “unacceptable.”

The UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, told the UN Security Council on Monday the situation was “extremely serious” and ramped up the chances for conflict in the Middle East, but added that he still couldn’t say who carried out the strikes.

“It’s not entirely clear who was behind the attack, but the fact that Ansar Allah has claimed responsibility is bad enough,” Griffiths said, using the Houthi group’s formal title.

The Houthis have stepped up their missile and drone attacks this year, taking responsibility for a number of attacks on Saudi’s oil infrastructure over the summer. The latest strike saw oil prices spike by over 20 percent, disrupting nearly five percent of the whole global market, according to Bloomberg.

The US and UK-backed Saudi-led coalition has been at war with Yemen’s Houthis since March 2015, seeking to restore the rule of Yemeni President Mansur Hadi. The conflict has produced a humanitarian crisis rivaling the worst on earth, leaving millions without access to healthcare or clean water, and dependent on some form of international aid.

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