Pipelines hit by unmanned aircraft, Saudi minister says

including the Iran-backed Houthi militias battling the Arab Coalition in Yemen.

The UAE said it stood in solidarity with Saudi Arabia and that the security of the two countries was indivisible. Houthi spokesman Mohamed Abdel Salam threatened further attacks on Saudi Arabia and said its forces had not ruled out the possibility of targeting the UAE.

Bahrain’s foreign ministry strongly condemned the attack, calling it cowardly and a threat to the safety of the world’s energy supply.

Jordan joined the condemnation – the kingdom’s foreign ministry said it stood with “Saudi Arabia in the face of any threat”.

On Sunday night, four oil tankers – two Saudi, one UAE-registered and one Norwegian-registered – were attacked but not significantly damaged.

The US said on Monday night that it was assisting Emirati authorities with the investigation into the attack.

Sunday’s attack prompted condemnation across the Middle East.

Yesterday, Sudan joined the countries condemning the incident.

The US’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia urged a response short of war to Sunday’s attacks.

“We need to do a thorough investigation to understand what happened, why it happened, and then come up with reasonable responses, short of war,” Ambassador John Abizaid said in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

“It’s not in our interest, it’s not in Saudi Arabia’s interest to have a conflict.”

A spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said: “We want all parties in the region to avoid any actions that can escalate tensions.”

Iran distanced itself from Sunday’s incident, saying it is “worrisome and dreadful”, and has called for an investigation.