Saudi Arabia, which has presented to the press debris of drones and missiles recovered from the facilities, now accuses Iran of being at the origin of the bombings.
Subscribers article
On Wednesday, September 18, four days after the bombing of two sites in its oil industry, Saudi Arabia rallied to the advice of its US ally by blaming Tehran for the attack. The authorities in Riyadh, who had previously refrained from directly questioning their neighbor, claimed that by presenting debris of drones and missiles recovered from the targeted sites to the press, this operation was "Undeniably sponsored" by Iran.
For his part, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, dispatched to Saudi Arabia to coordinate the response of the two allies, said his accusations against Tehran, made on Saturday, evoking a "Act of war" wearing "The fingerprints of the ayatollah" Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic.
At the same time, the US channel CBS quoted a US official who said, on condition of anonymity, that the high dignitary had approved the actions, provided that the Iranian leaders deny responsibility and there is no evidence linking them. From Washington, President Donald Trump has announced a hardening "Substantial" the arsenal of sanctions that suffocates the Iranian economy, but without providing details.
Eighteen drones and seven missiles
It was the spokesman of the Saudi Defense Ministry, Colonel Turki Al-Malki, who returned the task of providing alleged evidence of Tehran's involvement. In Riyadh, in front of a packed press room, he unveiled pieces of metal cylinders surmounted by fins, electronic components and calcined engine components: the remains of projectiles launched against the Abqaïq factory and the Khuraïs deposit , Saturday, September 14, which have reduced the Saudi oil production by half.
According to the officer, eighteen drones and seven cruise missiles were used in the operation, three of which missed their target. The location, the shape of the points of impact and the equipment used would invalidate, according to Turki Al-Malki, the claim of the Houthi, the Yemeni rebels who attributed to themselves the paternity of this spectacular action.
According to Michael Elleman, an expert from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, interviewed by the Associated Press, some of the debris presented to the press would come from a Quds-1 missile. A weapon present in the arsenal of Houthists, but whose range of action does not exceed 700 kilometers, an insufficient range to reach the oil zones of the east of the kingdom, located at more than 1000 kilometers of the territories under their control .
