Attack on Saudi oil facility came from direction of Iran, not Yemen: U.S. official

[FBaggins]

Source: Reuters

DUBAI (Reuters) - The attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities on Saturday that has threatened global oil supplies came from the direction of Iran, and cruise missiles may have been used, according to a senior U.S. official. The comments added heft to Washington’s accusation that Iran was behind the attacks that knocked out more than 5% of global oil supply, instead of the Yemeni Houthi group that claimed it. Tehran has rejected the accusation but said it was ready for war.

The U.S. official, who asked not to be named, said there were 19 points of impact in the attack on Saudi facilities and that evidence showed the launch area was west-northwest of the targets - the direction of Iran - not south from Yemen.

The official added that Saudi officials had indicated they had seen signs that cruise missiles were used in the attack, which is inconsistent with the Iran-aligned Houthi group’s claim that it conducted the attack with 10 drones.

“There’s no doubt that Iran is responsible for this. No matter how you slice it, there’s no escaping it. There’s no other candidate,” the official told reporters.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-aramco-attacks/attack-on-saudi-oil-facility-came-from-direction-of-iran-not-yemen-u-s-official-idUSKBN1W00SA

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Sure it did. And Iraq had WMDs.

[bluestarone]

11. Yea no kidding!

They want us to swallow it AGAIN!

[intrepidity]

2. Is there a map with a Sharpie arrow to prove it? nt

[walkingman]

3. Can't believe a word out of this administration

[Perseus]

39. Can't believe a word that comes out of a republican, it was the same during St. Reagan, GH Bush and

GW Bush...they are all liars, all the republican in the Senate, the Congress.

[Cartoonist]

4. Um, I have some doubts

I have no evidence concerning the attack, but I have lots of evidence of this administration's lies.

[FBaggins]

6. Sure... but why would this one matter?

The Houthis in Yemen (who took credit for the attack) are a puppet of Iran anyway. If they have drones... they got them from Iran.

What I would believe is that (like the attack on the tankers), it isn't the Iranian government... but their sometimes-rogue IRGC

[atreides1]

10. Okay

Personally I don't have a problem with the Iranians assisting the Houthis, in launching attacks against the very same country that provided the master mind and the human assets that attacked the US on 9/11!!!

I wish someone had done it sooner!

[JonLP24]

13. Even if they allied with Iran

When the war started Yemen government was a kleptocracy and Saudi Arabia's wahabbi ideology hates religious minorities like the Houthis or Shia's in Eastern SA & Bahrain.

Who knows what is really going but I don't trust Saudi Arabia or US when it comes to Saudi Arabia. They are not honest Khasshogi is a good example.

[FBaggins]

14. I'm certainly not going to align with Iran

And I haven’t seen a rationale that either Trumo or the Saudis would benefit from this... while Iran could

[JonLP24]

16. I wouldn't ally with Saudi Arabia

Who has been bombing Yemen on a daily basis with US made weapons and suddenly there is this big controversy when Houthis launch an attack back.

In Saudi Arabia there is an ultraconservative sect from the 1700s ruling over sites such as Mecca & Medina so there's going to be war & now there's oil involved so the alliance is about money. The US wouldn't allow regime change there even they might nationalize oil production and kick out the oil companies which is what Iran did but the excuse back then for regime change was that they could be a puppet of the Soviet Union.

[MarcA]

23. Agreed. The Saudi Royals are an enemy of the U.S. and Humanity. n/t

[Wuddles440]

17. tRump and the Saudis...

could most certainly benefit! It's a predicate for war with Iran and further arms sales to the murderous Saudis. Trust absolutely nothing from this administration. If there's one thing they excel at, it's treachery and deceit.

[FBaggins]

18. There's an election in a bit over a year

I don’t see how war with Iran does anything but hurt him for next November.

[cstanleytech]

24. Anyone can get a drone these days. Hell they sale a number of them at the varies Walmarts near me

and the selection you can get at other sites online is even larger.

[FBaggins]

28. The attack wasn't close to that kind of drone

These were closer to knock-offs of our Predator... or were outright cruise missiles.

[cstanleytech]

29. CH-4B drones then?

[FBaggins]

30. Iran develops their own weapons... but I'd be guessing

There was a recent report that seems relevant

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/iran-unveils-high-precision-reconnaissance-attack-drone-190901113359152.html

[cstanleytech]

31. That is certainly possible but until the wreckage of the drone is examined it is still up the air.

[Iliyah]

5. WH are liars.

[2naSalit]

7. Fat chance that's true...nt

[sinkingfeeling]

8. I no.longer believe anything said by this administration, bent on war.

[bluestarone]

12. So true!

Add this one to the BILLION lies they already told everybody!

[KY_EnviroGuy]

9. Show us some doctored satellite photos so we can correct them with a Sharpie.

............

[Jedi Guy]

15. Am I missing something here? West-northwest doesn't make any sense at all.

If the attacks originated from west-northwest of the target site... that's inside Saudi Arabia. There's nothing else in that direction until you reach the Red Sea. Did they perhaps mean east-northeast, and Reuters got it wrong? Or am I suddenly unable to interpret a map for some reason?

[hatrack]

19. And global warming is a hoax, and migrants are carrying backpacks full of weed . . .

And we need to lower interest rates, and fundamentalist Christians are under attack, and Obama took away everybody's guns, and we've just got to cut spending because of those exploding deficits, and we've just got to cut taxes because of those poor oppressed Job Creators, and coal is coming back, and opioids are perfectly safe, and white men are horribly oppressed, and the biggest threat to 'Murca is video games.

Did I miss anything, "Senior US Official"?

[Maxheader]

20. Terrifying..

Officials in our defense dept parroting the yellow haired traitor...
We won't have accurate information on americun military action..
or reasons...

[Delphinus]

21. This is very worrisome.

He is hellbent on war.

[GeorgeGist]

22. I can smell the bullshit from here.

[cstanleytech]

25. Even if this is true the real blame still lays with Donalds father for

not teaching his son that one of the consequences of constantly lying is that eventually no one will believe you when try to tell the truth.

[Sapient Donkey]

26. Yeap yeap. I mean, it's plausible that Iran did this

but I sure in hell am not going to believe this administration just because they say so. There better be some pretty hard concrete evidence that backs their claim. And even then I will be looking at it with a very skeptical eye.

[FBaggins]

32. Definitely the modern Boy Who Cried Wolf

Unfortunately, he still wields the power of the presidency and doesn't seem to care whether or not we believe him.

[rockfordfile]

37. He will when he is sent to prison

[Leith]

27. West Northwest of Saudi Arabia is Egypt, not Iran

Also Jordan and Israel.

The news is tripe. Absolute garbage. This morning it was drones from the Houthis, now it's missiles from Iran to the "west?" They gotta do better than this.

[FBaggins]

38. Well... the Houthis reportedly took credit

So that’s not so unreasonable.

Latest word is that it was thought to be Iranian forces in Iraq and a drone was sited over Kuwait.

Additionally... drones and cruise missiles can easily change course at waypoints to appear to come from other sources. Pretty standard tactics even back in the 80s. But something launched from Yemen wouldn’t fly over Kuwait even accepting that.

[roamer65]

33. Lies.

There no logical reason for Iran to provoke a war.

[FBaggins]

34. Of course there is

Or at least... a logical reason to attack. If they could have a lasting impact on SA oil production, prices would skyrocket... simultaneously making Iranian oil that much more valuable and pressuring the west to lift the sanctions that have cut their production by 80%.

Some had speculated at $100+ prices. Doubling their profits per barrel and increase their exports five-fold? That sounds like a motivation to me.

[roamer65]

35. They know it would start a war.

They can’t export oil if Kharg Island is blown off the map.

Kharg Island is their main export facility. If Iran is responsible they are playing a very dangerous gambit.

[IronLionZion]

36. Yeah sure, just like that hurricane was heading straight for Alabama

Dude wants war with someone to help boost his poll numbers before the election.

Lawmakers aim to twist Trump’s arm on Yemen — and check his cozy ties to Saudi Arabia
https://www.vox.com/2019/9/10/20849004/trump-yemen-war-saudi-arabia-mbs-ndaa

[Midnight Writer]

40. The planes that hit the World Trade Center flew in from the west.

Does that mean they were from Pennsylvania?

Drones can turn, can they not?

[Chemisse]

41. No. Not falling for ANY Trump admin BS. n/t

[shawn703]

42. From what direction is Russia?

It’s not like they’d have nothing to gain from us getting entangled in another Middle Eastern conflict and hoping that conflict weakens us by stretching us further thin militarily and hoping Americans re-elect Trump like they did Bush in 2004. And gee, aren’t they also a major oil producing country who would benefit from a shortage? It would seem like they’d have a lot more to gain than Iran would.

[RandiFan1290]

43. Hope the Democrats don't fall for this garbage

like they did with the Iraq invasion lie.