Saudis to Show Evidence of Iran’s Role in Attack, State TV Says

(Bloomberg) -- Saudi Arabia will show evidence of Iran’s involvement in the devastating attack against major oil facilities that caused global crude prices to soar, state television reported.

A Saudi defense ministry spokesman said it will hold a news conference on Wednesday evening outlining Iran’s role as well as the weapons used in the attacks, the report said, without giving a specific time.

The U.S. -- a close ally of Saudi Arabia -- has blamed Iran for the highly coordinated and successful attacks, which were initially claimed by Houthi rebels in Yemen that have been fighting Saudi forces there since 2015. Iran launched an “unprecedented attack on the world’s energy supply,” U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said on Twitter, without giving evidence to back up the allegation.

Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, has denied any role. He said on Twitter that the U.S. campaign of “maximum pressure” against Iran has turned into one of “max deceit,” and urged Washington to once again engage in talks.

How Attack on Saudi Oil Upended a Global Calculus

The Sept. 14 attack on two of Saudi Arabia’s largest crude oil production plants was the single biggest sudden disruption on record, surpassing shocks during the Gulf War in 1990 and the loss of Iranian output from the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

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