Pentagon chief: ‘Iran is responsible for extraordinary attack on Saudi Arabia’

Pentagon chief: ‘Iran is responsible for extraordinary attack on Saudi Arabia’
September 25, 2019, 8:00 am

Esper said that he expected others to call Iran out and support US partners in the region. (File photo US Department of Defense)

On Tuesday the US Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper, took to Twitter to state that having met with some of the US’s key allies, “The consensus is clear – Iran is responsible for the extraordinary attack on Saudi Arabia.”

https://twitter.com/EsperDoD/status/1176551004369817601

Esper added that the expectation among the allies he met was that “others will step up and call Iran out.”

Esper’s comments follow widespread condemnation of Iran from regional and international governments.

https://twitter.com/EsperDoD/status/1176551005200277504

The attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities on September 14 briefly interrupted the supply of an estimated 5.7 million barrels of crude oil per day - around five percent of global supply - and two billion cubic feet of gas.

Following the attacks, President Trump told Saudi Arabia that Washington stood ready to cooperate with the Kingdom to support security and stability.

The strikes had initially been claimed by the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen. Recent reports and statements from top officials in Saudi Arabia have said that investigations suggest that the attack likely came from Iran, while the weapons have been confirmed Iranian-made.

By September 17 Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman confirmed that the Kingdom had returned oil supply levels to pre-attack levels.

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