Pentagon statement on Aramco attacks: Iran renews denial and warns against attack

The Pentagon said it is cooperating with the Saudi side on the attacks on Aramco and has sent an assessment team on the ground, noting that it is assessing the situation in the Middle East and trying to find out who is responsible for the Aramco attacks.

She said she offered options to President Donald Trump, who ultimately decides what the Pentagon is doing, and noted that current indications are that Iran is somehow responsible for attacks on Saudi oil fields.

The Pentagon said its goal was to avoid a military conflict with Iran and return to the negotiating table, but said Central Command was discussing with Saudi Arabia ways to prevent similar attacks.

State Department spokesman Jonathon Hoffman said current indications were that Iran was somehow responsible for the attacks on Saudi oil fields, adding that the Saudis had to present their conclusions about the attack on two civilian facilities, which, he said, had a tragic impact on the world market.

Hoffman said at a Pentagon news conference that the US goal is to avoid conflict in the Middle East, and that what it seeks is Iran's commitment to international law, stop its malicious activities in the region and return to the diplomatic track.

On Saturday, Riyadh announced that the Abqaiq and Khurais facilities of Aramco in the east of the kingdom were attacked by drones in an operation claimed by the Yemeni Houthi group.

These two facilities are the heart of the oil industry in the Kingdom, where they reach most of the crude extracted for processing, before being converted for export or refining.

In the same context, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that his country wants a peaceful solution to the crisis with Iran and seeks to build an alliance for peace, and stressed in remarks made during a visit to Abu Dhabi that there will be more sanctions on Iran.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said in a tweet on Twitter that the Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabia is a declaration of war, saying that there is no alternative to military response against Iran and that the restoration of deterrence force calls for a military response against them.

Iranian warning
On the other hand, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reiterated that the Aramco attack did not start from Iranian territory.

Asked about the consequences of a US or Saudi military strike on Iran, he said in an interview with CNN that the result would be all-out war.

In turn, Hossein Dehghan, adviser to the Iranian guide for defense affairs, said that the security of the Gulf waters is in Iran's custody, and that America is responsible for the loss of regional security.

Dehghan said the United States and Saudi Arabia were shocked and puzzled after striking Aramco's oil facilities, stressing that those who would attack Iran would receive an unexpected response and large-scale strikes.

He stressed that Tehran will not negotiate with the United States and does not want war with it, and that Washington is responsible for the instability in the region.

On the other hand, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said it is impossible to reach a new agreement with the United States under the current circumstances.

He added that if Washington or its allies strike Iran militarily, Tehran's response would be devastating and broad, stressing that Washington's talk of negotiation was meaningless given the continuing military threat and what he called economic terrorism.