Saudis join US-led Gulf naval force after attack on oil plants
- Saudi Arabia is the fourth US ally to join the naval mission aimed at protecting merchant ships
- The move comes as US and Saudi Arabia aim to prove claims that Iran struck Saudi oil plants with drones and cruise missiles
The kingdom’s decision to enter the International Maritime Security Construct came ahead of a planned visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Separately, Saudi officials said they planned to show evidence of Iran’s involvement in the attack at a press conference on Wednesday evening, by sharing information about the weapons used to hit Abqaiq, the world’s largest oil processing facility, and the Khurais oilfield in eastern Saudi Arabia, on Saturday.
Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have claimed the attack, but the US and Saudi Arabia say they suspect Iran carried out the assault.
Iran denies that, though it comes amid a summer of heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over its unravelling nuclear deal with world powers.
The state-run Saudi Press Agency carried a statement on Wednesday morning quoting an unnamed official saying the kingdom had joined the International Maritime Security Construct.