Following the bombing of major oil facilities, Saudi Arabia is urging the international community to make a more determined response to prevent further attacks. Those responsible for these "aggression" would have to be held accountable and deterred, the cabinet in Riyadh said, as the Saudi agency reported SPA. The country will defend its soil and vital facilities.
King Salman said the "cowardly attacks" were aimed not only at oil facilities in the country but also at international oil supplies. They threatened the stability of the region. However, Yemen's Houthi rebels threatened the kingdom with new attacks.
Saturday's attacks on eastern Saudi Arabia had sparked fears of a military escalation in the Middle East, driving up oil prices. Saudi Arabia had to stop according to own data according to a large part of its oil production. Oil prices eased slightly on Tuesday after the shock.
Trump suspects Iran
After the attacks, US President Donald Trump targeted Iran as a potential supervisor. "It looks like Iran is behind the attacks," he said in Washington. At the same time Trump emphasized that the US did not want to go to war with Tehran. The US had significantly tightened its course towards Iran under Trump and renounced, among other things, the nuclear agreement with Tehran.
US Vice President Mike Pence said Foreign Minister Mike Pompeo will travel to Saudi Arabia to discuss with the Saudi leadership the response to the attacks. "We consult with our allies and the President will determine the best course of action in the coming days." According to Pence Pompeo wanted to leave on Tuesday for the trip to Saudi Arabia.
The Yemeni Houthi rebels were aware of the attacks at least a thousand kilometers from their territory. According to experts, they have drones that can cover such a distance. However, according to media reports, the US government also considers it possible that the drones and missiles were shot down from Iraq or Iran.
Houthis face further attacks
The Houthis repeatedly attack targets in Saudi Arabia. They see in it a retaliation for the Saudi military intervention in Yemen. Saudi Arabia supports the internationally recognized government in Yemen and has been bombarding Huthi targets there since 2015. Again and again, numerous civilians die. The Houthis accuse Riyadk of aggravating the humanitarian crisis in Yemen with a blockade.
A spokesman for the Yemeni Houthi rebels threatened the kingdom with further attacks if Saudi Arabia continued its "aggression" in Yemen. Those who want to ensure the stability of the oil market must induce the Riyadh-led coalition to end its blockade of the Yemeni people.
The Saudi foreign ministry said on Monday that initial investigations indicated Iranian weapons had been used in the attacks on the oil rigs. The country wants to invite the UN and international experts to participate in the investigation. The Sunni kingdom sees Shiite Iran as an archenemy and accuses it of destabilizing the region.
NATO calls for de-escalation
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on the parties to a de-escalation. "Any disruption of the global energy supply is clearly worrying for the NATO allies," said the Norwegian news agency dpa. He called on all parties to avoid further incidents that could pose a serious threat to regional security. NATO is watching the developments closely.
In view of a renewed aggravation of tensions in the Gulf region, CDU foreign policy politician Norbert Röttgen demanded a European initiative. "It is our neighborhood region and when it pops there we are most directly affected", said Röttgen on Deutschlandfunk. Imagine for him a "conference for security and cooperation in the Middle East."
A civil war has been raging in Yemen since 2014. The Houthis overran large areas and expelled the internationally recognized government from the capital, Sana'a. Their support in Yemen is, according to observers, weak. Because of the civil war, the country is experiencing the world's worst humanitarian crisis, according to the UN. UN negotiator Martin Griffiths called for a quick resolution of the conflict in Yemen. The attacks on the oil facilities have shown the urgency of a political solution, he wrote in The New York Times.