United States Secretary of State Michael Pompeo /Getty Images Photo
United States Secretary of State Michael Pompeo /Getty Images Photo
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday described strikes on key Saudi oil installations as an "act of war", reiterating that it was an "Iranian attack".
Pompeo spoke to reporters on his plane before landing in the western city of Jeddah said that they were blessed that there were no Americans were killed in the attack.
"This was an Iranian attack. It’s not the case that you can subcontract out the devastation of 5% of the world’s global energy supply and think that you can absolve yourself from responsibility. Were it the case that the Houthis’ fraudulent claim was accurate, were that true — it’s not, but were that true, it doesn’t change the fingerprints of the Ayatollah as having put at risk the global energy supply." he added.
According to CNN, Pompeo said the intelligence community has high confidence that the Houthis did not possess weapons systems like the ones used in the attacks. He said that they believe the attacks originated in Iran, not in Iraq.
"As for how we know, the equipment used is unknown to be in the Houthi arsenal.” he said.
“These line attack cruise missiles we have never seen there and we think we’ve seen most everything. So the intelligence community has high confidence that these were not weapons that would have been in the possession of the Houthis. That’s probably the most important piece of information.”
Pompeo is currently in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he is to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss the Aramco attacks and "coordinate efforts to counter Iranian aggression in the region." according to a State Department statement.
Source: CNN