Iranian leader says Saudi attacks were ‘warning’ from Yemenis
Iran this morning denied any involvement in a series of attacks on Saudi Arabian oil infrastructure over the weekend as the Saudis prepare to reveal “material evidence” of Tehran’s role.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the attacks had come as a “warning” from Houthi fighters in Yemen’s civil war, which he accused western countries of starting.
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“We don’t want conflict in the region … Who started the conflict? Not the Yemenis. It was Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, America, certain European countries and the Zionist regime which started the war in this region,” he said.
A Saudi-led coalition has provided air support to Yemen’s ousted government since 2015.
Saturday’s drone attacks on Saudi refineries knocked out half of the country’s oil production, pushing up global crude prices as much as 20 per cent on Monday.
The Saudis have promised they will today reveal evidence that Iran was behind the attacks.
At a press conference this afternoon, the government is set to unveil “material evidence and Iranian weapons proving the Iranian regime’s involvement in the terrorist attack.”
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According to reports, US analysts have identified the exact location in Iran where they think they drones and cruise missiles took off from.
However other countries have asked for proof that Iran is to blame. Japan’s defence minister today said that he had not seen evidence of the claims.
Oil markets held fairly steady this morning after days of fluctuation. After Monday’s sharp rise, yesterday prices fell 6.5 per cent after the Saudis said their production would be up and running again sooner than expected.
Tensions have been ratcheting up in the Middle East around the vital Strait of Hormuz for months. International ships have been attacked and seized and an Iranian drone shot down by the US over the strait which is a chokepoint for a fifth of global oil supply.
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Relations between Washtington and Tehran, always tense, soured last year when US President Donald Trump ripped up a 2015 deal aimed to preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons.
Export tariffs, which were lifted as part of the deal, have been re-imposed on the Islamic Republic.