Russian intelligence agencies are collecting data on an attack on oil enterprises in Saudi Arabia. This was reported to TASS by the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergey Naryshkin. According to him, at this stage, there are no conclusions about who can stand behind the attack.
“We collect this data, but have not yet made any final conclusions,” he said.
Naryshkin also commented on the fact that less than a week after the attack, some countries already accuse other states of involvement in the attack. According to the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, there are no grounds for this yet.
“It seems to me that it is impossible to draw conclusions without any solid evidence,” Naryshkin emphasized.
Recall that on the night of September 14, about 10 unidentified drones attacked the plants of the national oil company Saudi Aramco. After the attack, a fire began and the enterprises were temporarily stopped, which for some time affected the price of oil.
The responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Hussite Yemeni rebels from the Ansar Allah movement. They also promised to continue the attacks until the Arab coalition ceases operations against them.
- Saudi Arabian Army Soldiers in Yemen
- Reuters
- © Faisal Al Nasser
"Stress Tension"
However, Riyadh believes that Iran is allegedly involved in the attack on enterprises. A similar position was made in the United States. According to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Tehran could not “entrust” the operation to the rebels.
“This was not the Hussites. Let's start with this, and I will definitely return to this issue. But this does not change the essence of the matter. The attack was made by Iran. This is not the case when you can entrust someone to destroy (infrastructure providing. - RT ) 5% of the world's energy supply and assume that you will be able to evade responsibility, ”the Secretary of State said.
However, the Pentagon refused to draw specific conclusions about Iran’s involvement. Jonathan Hoffman, an assistant to the head of the US military department, said that “everything indicates that Iran is somehow responsible for the attack,” but noted that he was waiting for the end of the Saudi investigation.
“We will not go ahead of the Saudi investigation and their assessment. It was an attack on Saudi Arabia, we support their investigation, our teams work with them on the spot, but we will not draw conclusions that are ahead of them, ”Hoffman explained.
Tehran announced its non-involvement in the attack. The Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Republic sent a diplomatic note to the United States with the appropriate content, and Iranian adviser to the President, Hesameddin Ashen, in his Twitter noted that the materials shown by Saudi Arabia are insufficient to make reasonable charges.
“The press conference proved that Saudi Arabia knows nothing about where rockets and drones were launched from. They also failed to explain why their defensive systems could not repel the attack, ”he said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the attempts of several countries to blame other states for the complete attack. According to the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergey Lavrov, such statements contribute to the escalation in the region.
“It is important that this (investigation. - RT ) really be an objective process, because accusations that are not supported by facts do not help the case, they only increase tension in this region, where everything is already too confrontational,” said Lavrov 19 September
"Do not meet specifications"
Meanwhile, an Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia announced the start of an operation against Ansar Allah. This was reported by Reuters. According to a statement by the coalition, four facilities were destroyed where remote-controlled boats and sea mines were assembled.
“These places are used for attacks and terrorist attacks that threaten shipping and international trade in the Bal al-Mandab and in the south of the Red Sea,” the agency quoted the representative of the coalition, Colonel Turki al-Malki.
In response, Yemeni rebels accused Riyadh and his allies of “seriously escalating” the conflict in the province of Hodeida, located west of the country along the coast of the Red Sea.
We add that, according to The Wall Street Journal, the Pentagon is considering the possibility of deploying additional missile defense and air defense systems, as well as fighters and reconnaissance assets, to Saudi Arabia. Among the systems indicated by the publication are Patriot air defense systems, the THAAD missile defense system, and fighter squadrons.
Interestingly, earlier Mike Pompeo admitted that the American Patriot systems, armed with Saudi Arabia, could not repel the attack of drones at the Saudi Aramco plants. According to him, "even some of the best examples do not always stop the threat."
Journalists then asked the Patriot systems official Colonel Patrick Ryder, the official representative of the US Chief of Staff Committee, about the failure of the Patriot systems. He said that in military circles this situation is carefully analyzed.
“There is a thorough analysis. I will not talk about the details regarding the air defense system of Saudi Arabia. I can only say that this is being considered and taken seriously, ”Ryder emphasized.
In turn, a senior source in the Russian Ministry of Defense, commenting on the attack, noted that the Patriot systems could not repel it, because their characteristics do not correspond to those declared by the United States.
“There can only be one reason: the Patriot and Aegis advertised by the Americans do not meet the declared characteristics - they have low efficiency in combating small-sized air targets and cruise missiles,” he emphasized.