Page 10 - AT

A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 16 SepteMber 2019

Attack on Saudi oil sites raises risks amid US-Iran tension

By JON GAMBRELL ment said.
Associated Press Houthi leader Muham-
DUBAI, United Arab Emir- mad al-Bukh reiterated his
ates (AP) — A weekend group's claim of responsibil-
drone attack on Saudi Ara- ity Sunday, telling The As-
bia that cut into global en- sociated Press it exploited
ergy supplies and halved "vulnerabilities" in Saudi air
the kingdom's oil produc- defenses to strike the tar-
tion threatened Sunday to gets. He did not elaborate.
fuel regional tensions, as Iran, meanwhile, kept up
Iran denied U.S. allegations with its own threats Sun-
it launched the assault and day as well. Hajizadeh, the
tensions remained high Guard brigadier general
over Tehran's collapsing who leads its aerospace
nuclear deal with world program, gave an inter-
powers. view published across Ira-
Iran called the U.S. claims nian media that discussed
"maximum lies," while a Iran's downing of the U.S.
commander in its paramili- drone in July. He said
tary Revolutionary Guard This Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019, satellite image from Planet Labs Inc. shows thick black smoke rising Guard forces were ready
reiterated its forces could from Saudi Aramco's Abqaiq oil processing facility in Buqyaq, Saudi Arabia. for a counterattack if
strike U.S. military bases Associated Press America responded, nam-
across the Mideast with its ing the Al-Udeid Air Base
arsenal of ballistic missiles. there's been mysterious at- tary of State Mike Pompeo themselves by mysterious in Qatar and Al-Dhafra Air
A prominent U.S. senator tacks on oil tankers that directly blamed Iran for the airstrikes, with at least one Base near Abu Dhabi in the
suggested striking Iranian America blames on Teh- Saudi attack on Twitter, believed to have been car- United Arab Emirates as im-
oil refineries in response for ran, at least one suspected without offering evidence ried out by Israel. mediate targets, as well as
the assault claimed by Ye- Israeli strike on Shiite forces to support his claim. Iranian Foreign Ministry Navy ships in the Persian
men's Iran-backed Houthi in Iraq, and Iran shooting "Amid all the calls for de- spokesman Abbas Mousavi Gulf and the Arabian Sea.
rebels on Saudi Arabia's down a U.S. military surveil- escalation, Iran has now on Sunday dismissed Pom- "Wherever they are, it only
largest oil processing facil- lance drone. launched an unprecedent- peo's remarks as "blind and takes one spark and we hit
ity. The attack Saturday on ed attack on the world's futile comments." their vessels, their air bases,
"Because of the tension Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq energy supply," Pompeo "The Americans adopted their troops," he said in a
and sensitive situation, our plant and its Khurais oil wrote. "There is no evi- the 'maximum pressure' video published online with
region is like a powder keg," field led to the interruption dence the attacks came policy against Iran, which, English subtitles.
warned Guard Brig. Gen. of an estimated 5.7 million from Yemen." due to its failure, is leaning It wasn't just Iranians mak-
Amir Ali Hajizadeh. "When barrels of the kingdom's The U.S., Western nations, towards 'maximum lies,'" ing threats. U.S. Sen. Lind-
these contacts come too crude oil production per their Gulf Arab allies and Mousavi said in a state- sey Graham, a South Car-
close, when forces come day, equivalent to over 5% U.N. experts say Iran sup- ment. olina Republican close to
into contact with one an- of the world's daily supply. plies the Houthis with Separately, Iraqi Prime Min- President Donald Trump,
other, it is possible a con- It remains unclear how King weapons and drones — a ister Adel Abdul-Mahdi's of- suggested retaliatory strikes
flict happens because of a Salman and his assertive charge that Tehran denies. fice issued a statement on targeting Iran.
misunderstanding." son, Crown Prince Moham- U.S. officials previously al- Sunday denying the drone "Iran will not stop their mis-
Actions on any side could med bin Salman, will re- leged at least one recent attack came from there. behavior until the conse-
break into the open a twi- spond to an attack target- drone attack on Saudi Iraq "abides by its consti- quences become more
light war that's been raging ing what analysts describe Arabia came from Iraq, tutions that prevents the real, like attacking their
just below the surface of as the heart of the Saudi oil where Iran backs Shiite mili- use of its lands to launch refineries, which will break
the wider Persian Gulf over industry. tias. Those militias in recent aggressions against neigh- the regime's back," Gra-
the last months. Already, Late Saturday, U.S. Secre- weeks have been targeted boring countries," the state- ham wrote on Twitter.q