US Secretary of State accuses Iran of perpetrating an “act of war” on Saudi’s oil facilities – Saudi presents evidence of Iran’s involvement

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday accused Iran of perpetrating an “act of war” after weekend strikes on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, saying the attack had the “fingerprints of the Ayatollah.”

“This was an Iranian attack,” Pompeo told reporters after a flight to the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah. “We were blessed there were no Americans killed in this attack, but anytime you have an act of war of this nature, there’s always a risk that could happen.”

Earlier, Saudi Arabia ramped up the pressure on Donald Trump to respond to a devastating strike on two major oil installations, displaying drone and missile technology it insisted showed the attack was “unquestionably sponsored by Iran”.

At a press conference in Riyadh a Saudi defence spokesman claimed that 25 drones and cruise missiles were used in the attack on the Aramco facilities on Saturday, saying repeatedly they had been fired from the north, the direction of Iran.

Asked for his response, Trump said “We know very much what happened” but argued that it was “a sign of strength” that he has thus far taken no military action against Iran.

“How did going into Iraq work out?” Trump asked, before voicing support for a UN investigation into Saturday’s attack.

“I’ve always felt the United Nations is very important,” the president said. The UN secretary general, António Guterres, confirmed on Wednesday that an international team of experts was on the way to Saudi Arabia to investigate.

Trump put the emphasis on further sanctions on Iran, tweeting on Wednesday morning that he had instructed the US treasury to “substantially increase” sanctions. He later told reporters he would provide details within the next 48 hours.

Via CNBC News