Energy Prospectus

Saudi Arabia shows 'material evidence' of Iranian involvement in oil attacks. Official: "Attack was not launched from Yemen"

Live coverage: https://news.sky.com/story/live-saudi-a ... s-11813152

SA still locating the exact location of launch.
SA military has the ability to respond directly to this attack.
Pictures of cruise missiles shown. They are clearly from Iran.
Iran is 100% behind the attacks.

MY TAKE: SA wants to convince the world that Iran was behind the attacks to gain international support for a military strike. Trump doesn't want to put American military into another war. He wants SA and the other Arab States to take the lead on any military response. Pompeo is in SA to make the point that the U.S. supports SA, but that SA needs to fight their own war with Iran. It is SIGNIFICANT that SA blames the attacks directly on Iran and said that the attacks definitely came from the north (Iran or areas in Iraq controlled by Iran). Plus, the attack was much more than the ten drones that Yemen said that they launched. May high tech weapons were used.
My opinion is that Iran has clearly "crossed the line" with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia must strike back or look weak in Arab world. This is also Iran's way of "testing" the will of the U.S. to see how far Trump will go to support Saudi Arabia. Tensions are and will remain extremely high in the regions. The "Drone War" is just beginning.

BBC's notes from the SA press conference. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49746645

I watched most of the press conference. Reporters asked several times if "Iran had crossed the line" and if and when Saudi Arabia would strike back. Only idiot reports would expect a speaker from the military to answer those questions. Military strikes should NEVER be announced ahead of time. - Dan

From BBC:

Saudi Arabia's defence ministry has shown off what it says is wreckage of drones and cruise missiles that prove Iranian involvement in weekend attacks on two oil facilities.

It said 18 drones and seven cruise missiles were fired from a direction that ruled out Yemen as a source. (plus four cruise missiles that hit the oilfield)

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels had said they were behind the attacks.

Iran has denied any involvement and warned it would retaliate against any military response.

The Saudi defence ministry briefing said the wreckage showed the attacks were launched from the north and were “unquestionably sponsored by Iran”.

However, spokesman Col Turki al-Malki said the Saudis were still "working to know exactly the launch point".

Col Malki showed off what was said to be a delta wing of an Iranian UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) along with other weapons debris.

"Data recovered from the computers [on the UAV] shows it's Iranian," he said.

He said that 18 UAVs had been fired at the Abqaiq oil facility and seven cruise missiles had been launched at both targets. Four cruise missiles struck the Khurais oilfield and the other three fell short of Abqaiq.

Col Malki said the missiles that struck all hit from a northerly direction. He showed video of one UAV hitting Abqaiq, along with maps and photographs of the damage.

He said of the Khurais attack that the "precision impact of the cruise missiles indicate advanced capability beyond the Iran proxy's capacity".

Col Malki said details of the launch points could not yet be given but once they had been determined they would be announced at another conference.

However, he said: "Despite Iran's best efforts to make it appear so, their collaboration with their proxy in the region to create this false narrative is clear."

He called the attacks "an assault on the international community… Those responsible should be held accountable for their actions".

President Donald Trump earlier on Wednesday announced he had instructed the Treasury to "substantially increase US sanctions" on Iran following the attacks.

The scope of any new sanctions was not immediately made clear.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is due in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to meet King Salman's son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to discuss strategy on the issue.
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MY TAKE: Pompeo is not going to meet the King to discuss plans for this year's Christmas Party.

He is going to tell him to remember that Trump likes $50 oil.