Saudi Arabia says oil facilities near
Riyadh attacked
Send a link to a friend
[May 14, 2019]
By Stephen Kalin and Rania El Gamal
RIYADH/DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia said
explosive-laden drones had struck oil pumping stations in the Riyadh
region on Tuesday in what it called an act of terrorism two days after
Saudi oil tankers were sabotaged off the coast of the United Arab
Emirates.
The energy minister of the world's largest oil exporter said the attack
on two oil pumping stations had not disrupted oil production or exports
of crude and petroleum products.
Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih, in comments run by state media, said
the two recent attacks threatened global oil supplies and proved the
need to counter "terrorist groups behind such destructive acts"
including the Iranian-backed Houthi militias in Yemen.
Houthi-run Masirah TV earlier on Tuesday cited a military official
saying the Houthis had launched drone attacks on "vital Saudi
installations". A Saudi-led military coalition has been fighting the
Houthis in Yemen for four years.
Tuesday's attack and the operation against commercial vessels off the
coast of the UAE on Sunday took place as the United States and Iran
exchanged angry words over sanctions and the U.S. military presence in
the region.
The UAE has not revealed details on the nature of the attack on ships
near Fujairah, a bunkering hub lying just outside the Strait of Hormouz,
or blamed any party or country.
Iran was a prime suspect in the sabotage on Sunday although Washington
had no conclusive proof, a U.S. official familiar with American
intelligence said on Monday.
Iran has denied involvement and described the attack on the four
commercial vessels as "worrisome and dreadful". It has called for an
investigation.
The U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia said Washington should take what he
called "reasonable responses short of war" after it had determined who
was behind the attacks near Fujairah.
[to top of second column]
|
A technical staff is seen at the Port of Fujairah, United Arab
Emirates, May 13, 2019. REUTERS/Satish Kumar
"We need to do a thorough investigation to understand what happened,
why it happened, and then come up with reasonable responses short of
war," Ambassador John Abizaid told reporters in the Saudi capital
Riyadh in remarks published on Tuesday.
"It's not in (Iran's) interest, it's not in our interest, it's not
in Saudi Arabia’s interest to have a conflict."
Washington has increased sanctions on Tehran, saying it wants to
reduce Iranian oil exports to zero, after quitting the 2015 nuclear
pact between Iran and global powers last year.
The U.S. Maritime Administration said last week that Iran could
target U.S. commercial ships including oil tankers sailing through
Middle East waterways. Tehran has called the U.S. military presence
"a target" rather than a threat.
A fifth of global oil consumption passes through the Strait of
Hormuz from Middle East crude producers to markets in Asia, Europe,
North America and beyond. The narrow waterway separates Iran from
the Arabian Peninsula.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards threatened last month to close the
Hormuz chokepoint if Tehran was barred from using it.
U.S. President Donald Trump wants to force Tehran to agree a broader
arms control accord and has sent an aircraft carrier and B-52
bombers to the Gulf in a show of force against what U.S. officials
have said are threats to U.S. troops in the region.
(Writing by Stephen Kalin, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |