Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 17 May 2019
Saudis blame Iran for drone attack amid calls for U.S. strikes

cludes the UAE, has been
at war with the Houthis
since 2015, carrying out
near-daily airstrikes. The
pipeline attack marked
one of the rebels’ deepest
and most significant drone
strikes inside Saudi territory
since the conflict began.
Washington already has
warned shipping compa-
nies that “Iran or its prox-
ies” could be targeting
maritime traffic in the Per-
sian Gulf region and said it
deployed an aircraft car-
rier strike group and B-52
bombers there to counter
the threat.
Last week, U.S. officials said
they had detected signs
of Iranian preparations for
potential attacks on U.S.
forces and interests in the
Middle East but did not pro-
vide any evidence to back
up the claims.
The U.S. State Department
has ordered all nones-
sential government staff
to leave its embassy and
People inspect the site of an airstrike by Saudi-led coalition in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, May, 16, 2019. consulate in Iraq. Germany
Associated Press and the Netherlands both
By AYA BATRAWY — that have crippled Iran’s Ali Shihabi, who runs the kingdom knows it is a main suspended their military as-
Associated Press economy. Saudi-leaning Arabia Foun- target of Shiite Iran and sistance programs in the
DUBAI, United Arab Emir- Saudi Prince Khalid bin dation in Washington, said there is no room for dia- country in the latest sign of
ates (AP) — Saudi Arabia Salman, who is King there’s a sense that if the logue with Tehran. tensions.
accused Tehran of being Salman’s son and the Iranians can get away with A top Emirati diplomat said European nations have
behind a drone strike that country’s deputy defense targeting Saudi oil infra- late Wednesday the Saudi- urged the U.S. and Iran to
shut down a key oil pipe- minister, tweeted that structure, then “the whole led coalition fighting the show restraint. Also, a se-
line in the kingdom, and the drone attack on two security infrastructure in Houthis in Yemen would nior British officer in the U.S.-
a newspaper close to the Saudi Aramco pumping the Gulf will be called into “retaliate hard” for attacks backed coalition fighting
palace called for Wash- stations running along the question and security pre- on civilian targets, without the Islamic State group,
ington to launch “surgical” East-West pipeline were miums on oil will rise.” elaborating. Maj. Gen. Chris Ghika, said
strikes on Iran, raising the “ordered by the regime in He said it would seem that However, Anwar Gargash earlier this week that there
specter of escalating ten- Tehran, and carried out by Riyadh would like to co- also said the UAE is “very had been no increased
sions as the U.S. boosts its the Houthis” — a reference ordinate with Washington committed to de-esca- threat from Iranian-backed
military presence in the Per- to the Yemeni rebel group. how it responds to Iran, but lation” after the alleged forces in Iraq and Syria. His
sian Gulf. A state-aligned Saudi “eventually what may hap- sabotage of the tankers off comments exposed inter-
Concerns about possible newspaper went further, pen is that just Saudi Arabia the country’s coast. He de- national skepticism over
conflict have flared after running an editorial calling and the UAE may have to clined to blame Iran direct- the U.S. military buildup.
the U.S. dispatched war- for “surgical” U.S. strikes on do something.” ly, although he repeatedly Iranian Foreign Minister Mo-
ships and bombers to the Iran in retaliation. Iran has “Nobody is going to start a criticized Tehran. hammad Javad Zarif said
region to counter an al- been accused by the U.S. war with them (Iran), but I In response to the oil pipe- during a visit to Tokyo that
leged but unspecified and the U.N. of supplying think they should be de- line attack, the coalition Iran has the right to respond
threat from Iran. There also ballistic missile technology fanged and, you know, said it launched airstrikes to the “unacceptable” U.S.
have been allegations that and arms to the Houthis, things like their naval ca- on Houthi targets in the sanctions, but has exer-
four oil tankers were sabo- which Tehran denies. pabilities, things like their rebel-held capital, Sanaa, cised “maximum restraint.”
taged Sunday off the coast The front-page editorial in missile capabilities should killing at least six people, Speaking about Iran’s nu-
of the United Arab Emirates, the Arab News, published be downgraded at least including four children. At clear deal with world pow-
and Iran-aligned rebels in in English, said it’s “clear to make their capacity to least 40 other people were ers, Zarif was quoted as also
Yemen claimed responsibil- that (U.S.) sanctions are not inflict such dangerous ac- wounded, according to saying: “A multilateral deal
ity for Tuesday’s attack on sending the right message” tivity more painful, more Yemen’s Health Ministry. cannot be treated unilater-
the Saudi pipeline. and that “they must be hit costly,” Shihabi said. Residents of Sanaa scram- ally.”
The fears have grown out of hard,” without elaborating Saudi Crown Prince Mo- bled to pull wounded peo- Iran recently said it would
President Donald Trump’s on specific targets. hammed bin Salman, who ple from the rubble of a resume enriching uranium
decision last year to with- It said the Trump adminis- also is defense minister building hit by the airstrikes. at higher levels if a new nu-
draw the U.S. from the 2015 tration had already set a and controls major levers Fawaz Ahmed told The As- clear deal is not reached
nuclear accord between precedent with airstrikes of power in the Sunni king- sociated Press he saw three by July 7. That would poten-
Iran and world powers in Syria, when the govern- dom, has not commented bodies — a man, a woman tially bring it closer to being
and impose wide-reaching ment there was suspected publicly on this week’s in- and a child, all buried to- able to develop a nuclear
sanctions — the latest lev- of using chemical weap- cidents. In a Saudi TV inter- gether. weapon, something Iran
ied as recently as last week ons. view in 2017, he said the The coalition, which in- insists it has never sought.q