Secretary of Defense Mark Esper blamed Iran for a series of coordinated attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities following a meeting at the White House to brief President Trump on the situation, saying that the Pentagon was considering its options.
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen took credit for the Saturday strikes, which disrupted 5% of the world’s daily oil supply, but American officials believe Iran was directly responsible.
“The United States military, with our interagency team, is working with our partners to address this unprecedented attack and defend the international rules-based order that is being undermined by Iran,” Esper said in a series of tweets.
Esper said that he spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and Iraqi Defense Minister Najah al-Shammari about the attacks over the weekend and briefed Trump on Monday. Trump said it “certainly would look” like Iran was behind the attacks, adding that the United States “is more prepared” for a conflict than any country in history.
“With that being said, we’d certainly like to avoid it,” the president said.
Trump in a tweet Sunday said the United States was “locked and loaded” to retaliate but did not say who was responsible, though he added, “There is reason to believe that we know the culprit.”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran on Sunday, saying there is “no evidence the attacks came from Yemen.” A senior administration official who briefed CNN on the attack pointed out that the points of impact from the strikes were such that they most likely originated in the northwest, in Iran or Iraq.
The official also pointed out that it would be impossible to hit 19 targets with 10 drones, which is what the Houthis claimed.
If Iran is responsible for the attack, it would be the country’s most provocative move since seizing British ships in the Persian Gulf in July. Tensions between the United States and Iran have been on the rise for months, prompting the Pentagon to increase its military presence in the region earlier this year.
