Warmonger Pompeo Insists Iran Is Behind Drone Attacks in Saudi Arabia, but Can’t Provide Proof

Sept. 16, 2019 (EIRNS)—Immediately after news emerged of the Sept. 14 drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s Aramco oil facilities, Secretary of State Mike went into a flight forward, proclaiming—without evidence—that Iran, not Yemen, was responsible for the attack. The attack couldn’t have come from the Houthis, he announced.

Now, 48 hours after the attack, there still is no evidence, other than the assertion that “Iranian weapons” were involved. In an indication of just how fuzzy the evidence is, a late afternoon article in the Wall Street Journal reports that “U.S. intelligence” indicates that Iran was the staging ground for the attack on Saudi’s oil industry, according to people “familiar with the discussions.” Those “familiar” with the assessment, report its claim that Iran launched more than 20 drones and at least a dozen ballistic missiles at the Saudi oil facilities. Pompeo has reportedly been discussing this with Southwest Asian leaders.

However, as the Journal notes, Saudi officials say the U.S. didn’t provide enough proof to conclude that the attack was launched from Iran, and therefore the claim isn’t definitive. Unnamed U.S. officials have said they will share more information with the Saudis in the coming days, according to this report.

The Journal points to Western officials and analysts in the region who conclude that “unless the Kingdom makes the same determination, the U.S. would have trouble galvanizing regional support for a unified response.”

The Saudi military assessment offered today in Riyadh “stopped far short of accusing Iran of orchestrating the strikes.” The Riyadh government is now saying it will invite UN experts to come and investigate, before it decides how to respond.

Speaking this afternoon, President Donald Trump offered a more conciliatory message than his weekend tweet that the U.S. was “locked and loaded” and prepared to respond. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, he said, “Do I want war? I don’t want war with anybody.” Diplomacy, he said, “is never exhausted until the final 12 seconds.” Trump met this afternoon with his national security team, in which potential military attacks on Iran were discussed, but no decisions made, the Journal reported, citing those “familiar” with the discussion. Later he said he wasn’t considering any military option, and expected the Saudi Kingdom to play a “central role” in any response.