Saudi oil attacks: U.S. builds case against Iran – By Rebecca Falconer (Axios) / Sept 16 2019
The Trump administration released satellite images Sunday night as evidence that drone attacks on major Saudi oil sites over the weekend came from Iraq or Iran, as it made its case that Tehran was to blame.
Why it matters: The resolute determination to blame Iran for the airstrikes denied by Tehran and claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels is a marked escalation in months of tension between the U.S. and Iran.
- It raises questions about how Washington might respond to the attacks that halved Saudi oil production and sent oil prices soaring, and why Iran would have risked such a confrontation, as the New York Times points out.
Driving the news: President Trump tweeted Sunday night, “There is reason to believe that we know the culprit, are locked and loaded depending on verification.”
- Trump did not name the suspect, but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted earlier, “Iran has now launched an unprecedented attack on the world’s energy supply.”
The case against Iran: U.S. officials produced satellite photos showing what they said were at least 19 points of impact at 2 Saudi facilities, including damage at the heart of the kingdom’s crucial oil processing plant at Abqaiq, AP reports.
- The officials said other devices that didn’t reach their targets were recovered northwest of the facilities and were being analyzed by Saudi and American intelligence, per AP.
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What they’re saying: Iraq denied that its territory was used for an attack on Saudi Arabia, per AP.
The big picture: Tensions between the 2 countries increased in May on the first anniversary of Trump withdrawing he U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal, when he hit Tehran with sanctions. Iran has breached the 2015 deal several times since and scaled back its commitments. The U.S. later imposed more sanctions on Iran and its officials.
- The last major flashpoint between the 2 nations occurred in June, after Iran shot down an unmanned U.S. drone. Trump said the U.S. had readied a series of strikes against Iran, but he called the action off at the last moment because it would cause too many casualties.
This satellite image shows damage to Saudi Aramco’s Abaqaiq oil processing plant. Photo: U.S. government/Digital Globe via AP
