Weapons used in attack on oil facilities ‘came from Iran’, Saudi-led coalition says
- Although Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility, drone strikes ‘did not come from Yemen territory’, spokesman says
- Weekend attacks roiled global energy markets and sent prices spiking on Monday
The weapons used to strike Saudi oil facilities were Iranian-made, the Riyadh-led coalition said on Monday, heightening fears of regional conflict after the US hinted at a military response to the assault.
The weekend strikes on Abqaiq – the world’s largest oil processing facility – and the Khurais oilfield in eastern Saudi Arabia have roiled global energy markets sending prices spiking Monday.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the strikes but Washington has squarely blamed Iran, with President Donald Trump saying the US is “locked and loaded” to respond.
Saudi’s energy infrastructure has been hit before, but this strike was of a different order, abruptly halting 5.7 million barrels per day (bpd) or about six per cent of the world’s oil supply.
The Saudi-led coalition, which is bogged down in a five-year war in neighbouring Yemen, reiterated the assessment that the Houthis were not behind it, pointing the finger at Iran for providing the weapons.