Drones hit Saudi plants, disrupting flow of oil

SAUDI Arabia sa id on Saturday t hat it was ready to respond to drone attack s cla i med by Ira na l ig ned Yemeni rebels on t wo major oil facilities, which severely disr upted production, as Washi ng ton bla med Teh ra n for t he st r i ke.

The strikes sparked fires at the state-owned Aramco oil plants and prompted furious condemnation from the top US diplomat, who blamed Tehran for the strike.

Huge palls of smoke rose into the sky after the pre-dawn attacks on Abqaiq and Khurais, two key Aramco facilities in eastern Saudi Arabia, as the oil giant prepares for a much anticipated stock listing.

The drones triggered multiple explosions, forcing state-owned Aramco to temporarily suspend production at the two facilities, interrupting about half of the company’s total output, Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said.

The Iran-linked Huthi rebels said they launched “a large-scale operation involving 10 drones” on the facilities, the group’s Al-Masirah television reported.

However, US Secretar y of State Mike Pompeo blamed Tehran for t he attack, say ing t here was no ev idence it was launched f rom Yemen.

“Iran has now launched an unprecedented attack on the world’s energy supply,” Pompeo said on Twitter.

“The United States will work with our partners and allies to ensure that energy markets remain well supplied and Iran is held accountable for its aggression,” the top US diplomat said.

Following a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the White House condemned the attacks on “infrastructure vital to the global economy”.

Prince Mohammed had earlier issued a statement saying the kingdom was “willing and able” to respond to this “terrorist aggression”, according to Saudi state media.

Washington’s condemnation of Tehran throws into doubt expectations that Trump is tr ying to