ATTACKS. Smoke billows from an Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq about 60km southwest of Dhahran in Saudi Arabia's eastern province on September 14, 2019. Photo from AFPhas severely disrupted production and drawn allegations that Iran is responsible for what the US has called an"unprecedented attack on the world's energy supply."
However, the full extent of the damage and what weapons were used is not clear. Reporters were not allowed near the plants, where Saudi authorities swiftly beefed up security. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Tehran for the attack, saying there was no evidence it was launched from Yemen. But he did not explain how Iran was to blame or where the weapons came from.The Wall Street Journal cited unnamed sources as saying that Saudi and American officials are investigating the possibility that the strikes involved cruise missiles launched from Iraq or Iran.
Saudi de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said the kingdom is"willing and able" to respond to this"terrorist aggression".