Saudi oil strikes: US blames Iran for twin attacks
"We call on all nations to publicly and unequivocally condemn Iran's attacks," Mr Pompeo added. The US would work with its allies to ensure energy markets remained well supplied and"Iran is held accountable for its aggression", he added.
What do the Houthis say?Yahya Sarea told al-Masirah TV, owned by the Houthi movement and based in Beirut, that further attacks could be expected in the future. He said Saturday's attack was one of the biggest operations the Houthi forces had undertaken inside Saudi Arabia and was carried out in"co-operation with the honourable people inside the kingdom".There are no details about the damage caused by the attacks but officials say there were no casualties. Saudi state media reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had told President Trump in a telephone conversation that the kingdom was"willing and able to confront and deal with this terrorist aggression". Abqaiq is about 60km south-west of Dhahran in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, while Khurais, some 200km further south-west, has the country's second largest oilfield. Saudi security forces foiled an attempt by al-Qaeda to attack the Abqaiq facility with suicide bombers in 2006.Aramco is not only the world's biggest oil producer, it is also one of the world's most profitable businesses. The Khurais oilfield produces about 1% of the world's oil, and Abqaiq is the company's largest facility - with the capacity to process 7% of the global supply. Even a brief or partial disruption could affect the company, and the oil supply, given their size. There was a sharp intake of breath as analysts I spoke to today digested the information that reports suggest that half of Saudi Arabia's oil production could have been knocked offline by these attacks. The country produces 10% of the world's crude oil. Cutting this in half could have a significant effect on the oil price come Monday when markets open. The success of the drone strike shows the vulnerability of Aramco's infrastructure, at a time when it is trying to show itself in its best light while gearing up to float on the stock market. And it raises concerns that escalating tensions in the region could pose a broader risk to oil, potentially threatening the fifth of the world's supply that goes through the critical Strait of Hormuz.The Iran-aligned Houthi rebel movement has been fighting the Yemeni government and a Saudi-led coalition. Yemen has been at war since 2015, when President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi was forced to flee the capital Sanaa by the Houthis. Saudi Arabia backs President Hadi, and has led a coalition of regional countries against the rebels. The coalition launches air strikes almost every day, while the Houthis often fire missiles into Saudi Arabia. Mr Sarea, the Houthi group's military spokesman, told al-Masirah that operations against Saudi targets would"only grow wider and will be more painful than before, so long as their aggression and blockade continues".Houthi fighters were blamed for drone attacks on the Shaybah natural gas liquefaction facility last month, and on other oil facilities in May. There have been other sources of tension in the region, often stemming from the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Saudi Arabia and the US both blamed Iran for attacks in the Gulf on two oil tankers in June and July, allegations Tehran denied.
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