Iranian Official: Saudis Received Advance Warning of Aramco Attack

Photo of fire at Aramco facilities in Saudi Arabia, caused by Yemeni drone attacks / Photo by Reuters

In remarks on Wednesday, senior adviser to the Iranian parliament speaker for international affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian commented on a recent drone strike the Yemeni forces launched on two oil processing plants of Saudi company Aramco.

Hailing the Houthi Ansarullah movement as a leading actor in the current conditions, he said Ansarullah had warned Saudi Arabia a couple of weeks ago that if the military aggression against Yemen did not come to an end, the Saudi oil facilities and strategic centers would be the next targets for strikes.

“Ansarullah’s drone attack on the Saudi oil facilities reveals an upheaval in the new regional order,” the former Iranian deputy foreign minister added.

Amir Abdollahian also highlighted Saudi Arabia’s inability to direct the war on Yemen, saying even the kingdom’s advanced American warplanes require help from the US drones to pinpoint the targets.

“In other words, the equipment the US has sold Saudi Arabia require complementary gear to work properly. But Americans have not provided Saudis with such equipment, like the advanced drones, which are flown by themselves,” he stated.

The Yemeni forces on Saturday launched drone attacks on two plants at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry, including the world’s biggest petroleum processing facility.

Ansarullah had repeatedly warned Riyadh that the continuation of aerial attacks on Yemeni people would draw a harsh response.

Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia and some of its Arab allies have been carrying out deadly airstrikes against the Houthi Ansarullah movement in an attempt to restore power to fugitive former president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.