Saudi defense ministry: Attacks “unquestionably sponsored by Iran”
by Jordan Hilger, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – The Saudi defense ministry presented evidence Wednesday that Iran was behind an attack over the weekend on its largest oil facility, though it said a launch point had not yet been determined.
Data recovered from one of the drones (UAV) used in the attack revealed the raid was “unquestionably sponsored by Iran,” Colonel Turki al-Malki said at the ministry briefing, which also presented debris from an Iranian-built Ya-Ali cruise missile.
In spite of clear Iranian sponsorship, and a ruling out of Yemen as the launch point for the attack, where Houthi rebels had earlier claimed responsibility, Malki said the Saudi defense ministry could not yet pinpoint “exactly the launch point” beyond saying the barrage of cruise missiles and drones came from the north.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Jeddah Saudi Arabia to show US solidarity with the Sunni Kingdom against what he called an “act of war” from Iran, while US President Trump appeared to add more pressure to the Islamic Republic’s economy by instructing the Treasury to “substantially increase US sanctions,” both on Wednesday.
Trump said the nature of the sanctions would be unveiled over the next 48 hours, a day after telling reporters aboard Air Force One that he would not be meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at the UN General Assembly next week.