Donald Trump says US ‘locked and loaded’ as satellite photos show damage to Saudi oil facilities
- Global energy prices spike after Trump suggests US ready to retaliate for attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities
- The US government produced satellite photos showing what officials said were at least 19 points of impact at two sites
Oil prices made their biggest jump since the Gulf War on Monday after Donald Trump said the US was “locked and loaded” to respond to an attack on Saudi oil infrastructure that Washington has blamed on Iran.
It is the first time the president has hinted at a potential American military response to the attack, which slashed Saudi oil production by half and led both the kingdom and the United States to announce they may tap their strategic reserves.
“Saudi Arabia oil supply was attacked. There is reason to believe that we know the culprit, are locked and loaded depending on verification, but are waiting to hear from the Kingdom as to who they believe was the cause of this attack, and under what terms we would proceed!” Trump tweeted on Sunday.
The Tehran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is bogged down in a five-year war, claimed Saturday’s strikes on two plants owned by state energy giant Aramco.
But US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pointed the finger squarely at Tehran, saying there was no evidence the “unprecedented attack on the world’s energy supply” was launched from Yemen.
“The United States will work with our partners and allies to ensure that energy markets remain well supplied and Iran is held accountable for its aggression,” the top US diplomat said.