Pompeo condemns Iran following drone attacks on Saudi Arabia
US state secretary says Iran has launched an 'unprecedented attack'
Riyadh: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has condemned Iran following drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.
"Tehran is behind nearly 100 attacks on Saudi Arabia while Rouhani and Zarif pretend to engage in diplomacy," stated Pompeo in a tweet late on Saturday (early on Sunday in the UAE).
"Amid all the calls for de-escalation, Iran has now launched an unprecedented attack on the world’s energy supply. There is no evidence the attacks came from Yemen," Pompeo added.
"We call on all nations to publicly and unequivocally condemn Iran’s attacks.
"The United States will work with our partners and allies to ensure that energy markets remain well supplied and Iran is held accountable for its aggression.
US President Donald Trump has also condemned the drone attacks in call with Saudi crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman on Saturday.
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for the strikes, which forced Saudi Aramco to cut daily oil production in half.
The US "strongly condemns today's attack on critical energy infrastructure," White House spokesman Judd Deere said in an emailed statement that was also posted on Twitter. The U.S. government "is monitoring the situation and remains committed to ensuring global oil markets are stable."
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a confidant of Trump, earlier urged a decisive U.S. response against Iranian targets.
"It is now time for the U.S. to put on the table an attack on Iranian oil refineries if they continue their provocations or increase nuclear enrichment," Graham of South Carolina said on Twitter. "Iran will not stop their misbehavior until the consequences become more real, like attacking their refineries."
John Abizaid, the U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said in a tweet "attacks against critical infrastructure endanger civilians, are unacceptable, and sooner or later will result in innocent lives being lost."
Saudis 'willing and able' to responds: Crown Prince tells Trump
In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's crown prince told US President Donald Trump on Saturday the kingdom was "willing and able" to respond to the latest attacks by Yemeni rebels on its oil facilities, state media reported.
"The kingdom is willing and able to confront and deal with this terrorist aggression," Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Trump during a phone call, referring to Yemen's Houthi rebels, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.
Target
The drone attacks targeted a major Saudi Aramco processing facility and oilfield in eastern Saudi Arabia Saturday, the Interior Ministry said, sparking a huge fire at one of the sites before dawn.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
The attacks targetted the processing plant in Buqyaq and at the Khurais oil field.