Saudi in US-led maritime body after drone attack

decision THE KINGDOM’S to enter the International Maritime Security Construct came ahead of a visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

AUSTRALIA, Bahrain and the United Kingdom already have joined the mission.

Dubai, Sept. 18: Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday it joined a US-led coalition to secure the Mideast’s waterways amid threats from Iran after an attack targeting its crucial oil industry.

The kingdom’s decision to enter the International Maritime Security Construct came ahead of a planned visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Saudi officials separately planned to share information about the weapons used to attack a Saudi oil field and the world’s largest crude oil processing plant on Saturday.

Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have claimed the attack, but the US and Saudi Arabia say they suspect Iran carried out the assault.

Iran denies that, though it comes amid a summer of heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over its unravelling nuclear deal with world powers.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency carried a statement on Wednesday morning quoting an unnamed official saying the kingdom had joined the International Maritime Security Construct.

Australia, Bahrain and the United Kingdom already have joined the mission.

“The kingdom’s accession to this international alliance comes in support of regional and international efforts to deter and counter threats to maritime navigation and global trade in order to ensure global energy security and the continued flow of energy supplies to the global economy and contribute to maintain the international peace and security,” the news agency said.