SHAFAQNA | By Leila Yazdani : French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson backed the conclusion of the US on the blasts at the Abqaiq and Khurais facilities. But the Iranian foreign minister pointed to claims of responsibility by Yemeni Houthis and said: “If Iran were behind this attack, nothing would have been left of this refinery.”
War of words over Saudi oil strikes continues in the sidelines of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The E3’s leaders said in a joint statement after meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly: “It is clear to us that Iran bears responsibility for this attack. There is no other plausible explanation.” They said the time had come for Tehran to start talks on a new, long-term agreement dealing with its nuclear, regional and missile activities, wsj reported.
They pledged to try to ease tensions in the Middle East and urged Iran to refrain from choosing provocation and escalation, thejournal told.
Washington and its Persian Gulf allies stepped up their rhetoric over twin attacks on Saudi oil facilities, according to trtworld. Tension rose on Sept. 14 following an attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities, which Riyadh and Washington have blamed on Iran.
Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, denied any part in the attacks. He said Yemen’s Houthi, who claimed responsibility, “have every reason to retaliate” for the Saudi-led coalition’s aerial attacks on their country.
He also stressed that on the eve of President Hassan Rouhani’s visit to the UN “it would be stupid for Iran to engage in such activity”.
Rouhani has condemned baseless accusations of E3 – France, Britain and Germany – in their recent statement which blames Iran for the Aramco attacks.
Iran has sent the United States a diplomatic note denying any role in attacks on Saudi oil installations and warning of a response to any action, state media said.
The formal memo sent on Monday through the Swiss embassy, which represents US interests in Tehran, “emphasized that Iran has not played any role in this attack and denies and condemns” the US claims to the contrary, the official IRNA news agency said.
In a statement on Tuesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said it is “highly destructive and provocative” in itself to hold a third government responsible for an attack that was carried out during an all-out war between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, while the latter has claimed responsibility, let alone rushing to conclusions without any probe and only based on “a ridiculous rationale.”
The ministry slammed the three European states — known as E3 — for leveling unreal accusations against other countries with politically-motivated purposes while fully supporting Saudi Arabia, particularly through exporting huge amounts of arms to the child-killer regime, stressing that this is a “dangerous trend” and trio would be liable for the consequences that their statement can have for regional peace and security, presstv reported.