Pompeo lashes out at Iran after Saudi refineries attacked

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized Iran’s government on Twitter Saturday afternoon after U.S. officials blamed Iranian-backed Houthi rebels for several drone attacks on Saudi oil installations.

In a pair of tweets, Pompeo called drone attacks first reported by The Wall Street Jounal Saturday an “unprecedented attack” on the world energy supply, and accused Iran’s foreign minister and president of engaging in false diplomacy.

{mosads}”Tehran is behind nearly 100 attacks on Saudi Arabia while Rouhani and Zarif pretend to engage in diplomacy. Amid all the calls for de-escalation, Iran has now launched an unprecedented attack on the world’s energy supply. There is no evidence the attacks came from Yemen,” he tweeted.

“We call on all nations to publicly and unequivocally condemn Iran’s attacks. The United States will work with our partners and allies to ensure that energy markets remain well supplied and Iran is held accountable for its aggression,” Pompeo added.

We call on all nations to publicly and unequivocally condemn Iran’s attacks. The United States will work with our partners and allies to ensure that energy markets remain well supplied and Iran is held accountable for its aggression

— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) September 14, 2019

The Journal reported Saturday that drone strikes at several key Saudi installations resulted in the shutdown of about half of the country’s oil production, while the White House said that President Trump spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman after the attacks and offered his “support for Saudi Arabia’s self-defense.”

“The United States strongly condemns today’s attack on critical energy infrastructure. Violent actions against civilian areas and infrastructure vital to the global economy only deepen conflict and mistrust. The United States Government is monitoring the situation and remains committed to ensuring global oil markets are stable and well supplied,” the White House said.