Buqayq, Sep 20 (AP/UNB) — The heart of Saudi Arabia's oil industry remained wrapped in scaffolding Friday as workers sought to repair the charred innards and shrapnel-blasted arteries caused by drone-and-cruise-missile attacks that raised tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

Saudi officials brought journalists to the kingdom's crucial Abqaiq oil processing facility, described by the state-run oil giant Saudi Aramco as "the largest crude oil stabilization plant in the world." It was the first such trip for outsiders to see the damage done to its facilities that have been targeted in a summer-long campaign of attacks.

Saudi Arabia is seeking to build international consensus ahead of the U.N. General Assembly next week after the Sept. 14 attack that it claims was "unquestionably sponsored by Iran." The U.S. has gone further, alleging Iran carried out the attack as part of a campaign seeking to roil the region as American sanctions on its oil industry prevent it from selling crude oil abroad as Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers collapses.

Iran has denied involvement in the attack that was initially claimed by Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, now heading to New York for the high-level meetings at U.N. headquarters, has warned that any retaliatory strike on Iran by the U.S. or Saudi Arabia will result in "an all-out war."

President Donald Trump, who withdrew the U.S. from the nuclear deal more than a year ago, said separately Friday that America "just sanctioned the Iranian national bank." He did not elaborate.

In Abqaiq, an oil facility in the Arabian Peninsula's sprawling Empty Quarter desert, journalists saw what previously only had been glimpsed in satellite photos released earlier by the U.S.

The attack punched holes in giant metal onion-shaped structures that help separate gas from crude oil. Separation towers there, which process crude oil, were scorched and damaged, with the top of one looking like a melted candle.

Officials said they put out about 10 large fires at the site less than seven hours after the attack. There were at least 18 direct hits on 11 of the spherical structures, five column stabilizers and two small processing facilities, they said.

Abqaiq processes sour crude oil into sweet crude, and it is transported to transshipment points on the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea or to refineries for local production. Estimates suggest it can process up to 7 million barrels of crude oil a day. By comparison, Saudi Arabia produced 9.65 million barrels of crude oil a day in July.

The plant has been targeted before by militants. Al-Qaida-claimed suicide bombers tried but failed to attack the oil complex in February 2006. However, the Sept. 14 attack reached deep inside a facility that analysts long warned was vulnerable, knocking out half of the kingdom's oil production and spiking crude prices this week by a percentage unseen since the 1991 Gulf War.

Saudi Arabia also flew journalists to its Khurais oil field to see damage done to the oil field, which is believed to produce over 1 million barrels of crude oil a day. Officials there said 110 contractors evacuated the site after the attack, but there were no injuries. They said the oil field was back online within 24 hours of the attack.

An oil stabilization tower was damaged and other pipes had holes from the attack.

Repair crews swarmed both sites beneath large cranes, working through the heat. Saudi Arabia says it already has restored half of the cut production and hopes to have it fully online by the end of the month, although damage at several structures seen by journalists looked severe.

The trip comes as Saudi Arabia hopes to offer a sliver of Saudi Aramco in an initial public offering, a key component of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's development plans for the kingdom. Opening up the facilities slightly to journalists both bolsters Saudi Arabia's push for international condemnation of the attack while offering at least a glimpse at the crown jewels ahead of the IPO.

While Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the assault, analysts say the missiles used wouldn't have enough range to reach the site from the impoverished nation. The missiles and drones used resembled Iranian-made weapons, although analysts say more study is needed to definitively link them to Iran.

A Saudi-led coalition has battled the Houthis in Yemen since March 2015, a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and sparked what the U.N. describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

The International Crisis Group warns that the Saudi attack could push the wider Persian Gulf into war, saying the risk of conflict is "arguably the highest it has been in years."

"The Aramco strikes were no minor incident: They were perhaps the most significant attacks on Saudi Arabian infrastructure in modern history, and the result of a series of provocations and tit-for-tat exchanges that have been allowed to gather momentum for too long," the group said. "At this point, a single misstep could set off a chain reaction."

Underlining that Friday was Iranian Gen. Rahim Safavi, a senior adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

"If the Americans think of a conspiracy, the Iranian nation will respond to them from the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea and Indian Ocean," Safavi said, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

Also on Friday, the tiny, oil-rich country of Kuwait said it would increase security at both its commercial and oil ports. Kuwait's state-run KUNA news agency reported the decision, quoting Khaled al-Roudhan, the minister of commerce and industry.

Dubai, Sep 19 (AP/UNB) — Iran's foreign minister warned Thursday that any attack on his country over a drone-and-missile strike on Saudi Arabia's oil industry will result in "all-out war," further pushing up tensions across the Persian Gulf.

The comments by Mohammad Javad Zarif represent the starkest warning offered yet by Iran in a long summer of mysterious attacks and incidents following the collapse of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers, over a year after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord.

Zarif's comments also appeared to be in response to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who a day earlier while traveling to Saudi Arabia referred to the attack as an "act of war."

Asked by CNN what would be the consequence of a U.S. or Saudi strike, Zarif said: "All-out war."

"We won't blink to defend our territory," he said.

Pompeo wrote a tweet early Thursday after his meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jiddah over Saturday's drone and cruise missile attack on a crucial oil processing facility and oil field. Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have claimed the attack, but the U.S. alleges Iran carried out the assault.

Pompeo called the attacks "unprecedented."

"The U.S. stands with #SaudiArabia and supports its right to defend itself," Pompeo said. "The Iranian regime's threatening behavior will not be tolerated."

Pompeo did not elaborate. President Donald Trump has been noncommittal on whether he would order U.S. military retaliation. He separately said Wednesday he is moving to increase financial sanctions on Tehran over the attack, without elaborating. Iran already is subject to a crushing American sanctions program targeting its crucial oil industry.

Pompeo left Jiddah on Thursday heading to the United Arab Emirates to meet with Abu Dhabi's powerful crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The UAE is a close ally of Saudi Arabia and joined the kingdom in its war in Yemen against the Houthis.

 

The UAE announced Thursday it had joined a U.S.-led coalition to protect waterways across the Mideast after an attack on Saudi oil installations.

The state-run WAM news agency quoted Salem al-Zaabi of the Emirati Foreign Ministry as saying the UAE joined the coalition to "ensure global energy security and the continued flow of energy supplies to the global economy."

Saudi Arabia joined the coalition on Wednesday. Australia, Bahrain and the United Kingdom also are taking part.

Pompeo tweeted his appreciation for the UAE and Saudi Arabia joining the coalition.

"Recent events underscore the importance of protecting global commerce and freedom of navigation," he wrote.

The U.S. formed the coalition after attacks on oil tankers that American officials blame on Iran, as well as Iran's seizure of tankers in the region. Iran denies being behind the tanker explosions, though the attacks came after Tehran threatened to stop oil exports from the Persian Gulf.

Dubai, Sep 18 (AP/UNB) — Yemen's Houthi rebels are threatening to attack the United Arab Emirates, days after they claimed attacks on key oil facilities in Saudi Arabia.

Yahia Sarie, a spokesman for the Houthi forces, told a press conference Wednesday that they have "dozens of targets" in the UAE that "could be targeted at any time."

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have fought a yearslong war in Yemen that's killed tens of thousands of people.

He also alleged that they used "other drones to disrupt the enemy so the main drones can reach the target" during Saturday's attacks.

The pre-dawn strikes hit a Saudi oil field and the world's largest crude oil processing plant, disrupting the kingdom's oil production.

The Saudi military has shown journalists what they describe as an Iranian cruise missile and drones used in an attack this weekend that targeted the heart of Saudi Arabia's oil industry.

Saudi officials showed journalists the material at a news conference Wednesday in Riyadh, the kingdom's capital.

They said the cruise missile, which had what appeared to be a jet engine attached to it, was a land attack cruise missile that failed to explode.

On Saturday, an attack struck the world's biggest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia, as well as an oil field. Though Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed the assault, the U.S. alleges Iran was behind it.

Tehran has denied being involved and warned the U.S. it would retaliate "immediately" if targeted over it.

A Saudi military spokesman says an attack on its oil industry came "from the north."

Col. Turki al-Maliki did not elaborate, but to the north across the Persian Gulf is Iraq and Iran.

He spoke at a news conference Wednesday in Riyadh, the kingdom's capital.

Al-Maliki said the attack was "unquestionable sponsored by Iran."

On Saturday, an attack struck the world's biggest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia, as well as an oil field. Though Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed the assault, the U.S. alleges Iran was behind it.

Tehran has denied being involved and warned the U.S. it would retaliate "immediately" if targeted over it.

The International Energy Agency says oil markets remain well supplied and that it's not yet considered releasing emergency stocks of crude to offset the drop in output caused by the weekend attacks on Saudi oil installations.

The Paris-based agency, which advises governments and can release oil stocks in times of crisis, said Wednesday its member states hold about 1.55 billion barrels of emergency reserves. That amounts to 15 days of world oil demand, "more than enough to offset any significant disruption in supplies for an extended period of time."

The IEA has only released emergency stocks three times: in 1991 ahead of the Gulf War, in 2005 due to hurricanes in the U.S. and in 2011 over the Libyan war.

IEA head Fatih Birol said: "At this point, we do not see the need to take such action."

Iran's state-run news agency is reporting that Iran sent an official warning through Swiss diplomats to the U.S. that any action taken against Tehran "will face an immediate answer."

That's according to a report Wednesday by the IRNA news agency.

It said that Iran sent the diplomatic note to the Swiss on Monday. The Swiss Embassy has looked after America's interests in Iran for decades.

There was no immediate reaction from U.S. diplomats.

The note also reiterated that Iran says it has nothing to do with Saturday's attack on oil installations in Saudi Arabia. While Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have claimed the assault, the U.S. has alleged Iran was behind it.

Iran's state-run news agency says its president, foreign minister may not go to the United Nations General Assembly as the U.S. has yet to issue them visas.

IRNA made the report Wednesday, saying its first delegation for the annual event had not left Iran due to not having visas.

It said Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was to travel there Friday, with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani following behind Monday.

This comes as the U.N. meeting had been floated as the possible site of a direct meeting between President Donald Trump and Rouhani.

However, a weekend attack on vital Saudi oil installations has further raised tensions in the region. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also said direct talks wouldn't happen.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says Saudi Arabia should see the attack this weekend on its oil facilities as a warning to end its Yemen war.

Rouhani made the comments at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday in Tehran.

In the video released by state TV, Rouhani did not address U.S. and Saudi allegations that Iran was behind the attack Saturday.

A Saudi-led coalition has been battling Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels since March 2015.

France is sending experts to help investigate drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities.

French President Emmanuel Macron's office announced the move in a statement Wednesday after the French leader spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The statement says the French experts are going at Saudi request to help "shed all light on the origin and methods" of the attacks.

Macron denounced the attacks and stressed the importance of Saudi Arabia's security.

Macron's office said Tuesday that France is continuing diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions around the Persian Gulf.

Saturday's attack targeted the world's largest oil processing facility and a major oil field in Saudi Arabia. Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed the attack, though the U.S. and Saudi Arabia suspect Iran was behind the assault. Iran denies being involved.

Saudi Arabia says it is joining a U.S.-led coalition to secure the Mideast's waterways after an attack targeting its crucial oil industry.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency carried a statement Wednesday morning quoting an unnamed official saying the kingdom had joined the International Maritime Security Construct.

That's a mission already joined by Australia, Bahrain and the United Kingdom.

The U.S. formed the coalition after attacks on oil tankers that American officials blame on Iran, as well as Iran's seizure of tankers in the region. Iran denies being behind the tanker explosions.

The U.S. military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

On Saturday, an attack struck the world's biggest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh, Sep 18 (AP/UNB) — Saudi Arabia alleged Wednesday that Iranian cruise missiles and drones attacked the heart of the kingdom's oil industry, showing journalists the remains of the weapons while stopping short of directly accusing Iran of launching the assault. Iran denies being involved and has threatened the U.S. it will retaliate "immediately" if Tehran is targeted over the attack, which was claimed by Yemen's Houthi rebels.

The news conference by Saudi military spokesman Col. Turki al-Malki comes after a summer of heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S. over President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrawing America from Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

While the U.S. has said Iran was behind the attack on Saudi oil installations this weekend, al-Malki made a point not to directly accuse Iran of firing the weapons or launching them from inside of Iranian territory. The kingdom has sought help from international investigators and the United Nations, both lengthening the probe and internationalizing its conclusions.

"The attack was launched from the north and was unquestionably sponsored by Iran," al-Malki told journalists.

By stopping short of saying the missiles were launched from Iran, the kingdom potentially avoids a response that could lead to war among the heavyweight countries of the region and international superpower, the United States. However, not retaliating to the strikes also carries the risk of leaving Saudi Arabia exposed to continued attacks.

The news conference took place with a backdrop of broken and burnt drones and pieces of one cruise missile allegedly collected from the attacks.

Al-Malki described the drones as "delta wing" models, which looked like large triangles. The cruise missile had a small jet engine attached to it, he said.

Eighteen drones and seven cruise missiles were launched in the assault, Al-Malki said, with three missiles failing to make their targets. He said the cruise missiles had a range of 700 kilometers (435 miles), meaning they could not have been fired from inside Yemen. He played surveillance video he said showed a drone coming in from the north.

"This is the kind of weapon the Iranian regime and the Iranian IRGC are using against the civilian object and facilities infrastructure," he said, using an acronym for Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

Iran sent a note to the U.S. via Swiss diplomats in Tehran on Monday, reiterating that Tehran denies being involved in the Saudi attack, IRNA reported. The Swiss have looked after American interests in Tehran for decades.

"If any action takes place against Iran, the action will be faced by Iran's answer immediately," IRNA quoted the note as saying. It added that Iran's response wouldn't be limited to the source of the threat, suggesting it would inflict damage beyond what it had suffered.

IRNA separately reported Wednesday that Iran's first delegation for the annual U.N. General Assembly meeting had not left Iran because the U.S. has yet to issue them visas. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was to travel to New York on Friday, with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani following Monday, according to the agency. The U.N. meeting had been considered as an opportunity for direct talks between Rouhani and Trump.

As the host of the U.N.'s headquarters, the U.S. is mandated to offer world leaders and diplomats visas to attend meetings there. But as tensions have risen, the U.S. has put increasing restrictions on Iranians like Zarif. Since becoming Iran's president in 2013, Rouhani has spoken each year at the General Assembly.

The U.S. State Department did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday. Trump separately tweeted: "I have just instructed the Secretary of the Treasury to substantially increase Sanctions on the country of Iran!" He did not elaborate, and Treasury officials could not immediately be reached.

Dubai, Sep 15 (AP/UNB) — A leader of Yemen's Houthi rebels says they were able to "exploit vulnerabilities" in Saudi Arabia's air defense system to stage the attack previous day on the kingdom's vital oil installations.

Muhammad al-Bukhaiti told The Associated Press on Sunday that the U.S. allegations that Iran was behind the attack reflected "political bankruptcy" of the administration in Washington.

The drone attack claimed by the Houthis hit the world's largest oil processing facility and a major oil field on Saturday, sparking huge fires at a vulnerable chokepoint for global energy supplies.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has blamed Iran for the attacks and said that here's "no evidence the attacks came from Yemen."

Pompeo said on Saturday that "Iran has now launched an unprecedented attack on the world's energy supply."

Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri has condemned the drone attack on Saudi oil installations, describing it as an escalation that could widen conflicts in the region.

Hariri said in a statement on Sunday that the attack the day before in Saudi Arabia should push the international community to rein in "all the arms of aggression and terrorism that are striking Arab countries."

Hariri said Lebanon stands by Saudi Arabia, adding that the latest "aggression" against the kingdom is part of attacks targeting Gulf Arab states and also undermines regional and international security.

Iran's foreign minister says that blaming Iran for Yemeni rebel attacks on major Saudi oil sites will not end the war in the Arab world's most impoverished country — but that talks might.

Mohammad Javad Zarif also said in a tweet on Sunday that "Having failed at 'max pressure', U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo turning to 'max deceit'."

He also says: "US & its clients are stuck in Yemen because of illusion that weapon superiority will lead to military victory."

Zarif also tweeted: "Blaming Iran won't end disaster. Accepting our April '15 proposal to end war & begin talks may."

Late Saturday, Pompeo directly blamed Iran for the attack on major Saudi oil sites, without offering evidence to support his claim.

Iraq is denying that its country was the site from where Yemeni-rebel drones were launched to attack Saudi oil installations.

The statement came from Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi's office on Sunday.

It says Iraq would act "decisively" if anyone tried to use its territory to attack other countries.

U.S. officials previously alleged at least one recent drone attack on Saudi Arabia came from Iraq, where Iran backs Shiite militias, something denied by Baghdad. Those militias in recent weeks have been targeted themselves by mysterious airstrikes, with at least one believed to have been carried out by Israel.

Iran's Foreign Ministry has dismissed the U.S. accusation that it was behind an attack on Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure the day before, calling it part of Washington's policy of "maximum lies."

Abbas Mousavi made the statement on Sunday.

He says Washington adopted a 'maximum pressure' policy against Iran but because of "its failure, (the U.S.) is leaning toward 'maximum lies'" now.

Saturday's drone attacks by Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels have halted about half of Saudi oil supplies after hitting the kingdom's biggest oil processing facility and a major oil field.

They set off huge fires and led to a suspension of "production operations" at the Abqaiq facility and the Khurais field.

President Donald Trump called the Saudi crown prince after the attack, expressing U.S. support for the kingdom's security and stability.