By Stephen Kalin
RIYADH, Sept 21 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia will take appropriate steps to respond to an attack on its oil facilities if, as expected, a Saudi investigation confirms that Iran is responsible, a senior official said on Saturday.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir said the probe would prove that the Sept. 14 strikes came from the north and that Iran bore responsibility, a charge Tehran denies.
“The kingdom will take the appropriate measures based on the results of the investigation, to ensure its security and stability,” Jubeir told a news conference, declining to speculate about specific actions.
“We are certain that the launch did not come from Yemen, it came from the north. The investigations will prove that.”
Riyadh has rejected a claim by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement that it carried out the strikes on two oil plants that initially halved Saudi production, the largest-ever assault on oil facilities in the world’s top oil exporter.
It has already said the investigation so far shows that Iranian weapons were used and the attack originated from the north, and that it was pinpointing the exact location.
Saudi Arabia is consulting with its allies to “take the necessary steps”, Jubeir said, urging the world to take a stand.
“The kingdom calls upon the international community to assume its responsibility in condemning those that stand behind this act, and to take a firm and clear position against this reckless behaviour that threatens the global economy,” he said.
“The Iranian position is to try to divide the world and in that it is not succeeding.”
The United States this week imposed more sanctions on Iran and approved sending American troops to bolster Saudi air and missile defences.
(Reporting by Stephen Kalin in Riyadh; Additional reporting by Maher Chmaytelli in Dubai; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Ros Russell)
