Trump Says U.S. Is ‘Locked And Loaded’ After Yemeni Drone Attacks On Saudi Arabia’s Oil Refineries

President Donald Trump said in a tweet on Sunday the United States is “locked and loaded” following a series of drone attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil supply over the weekend.

“Saudi Arabia oil supply was attacked,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “There is reason to believe that we know the culprit, are locked and loaded depending on verification, but are waiting to hear from the Kingdom as to who they believe was the cause of this attack, and under what terms we would proceed!”

Saudi Arabia oil supply was attacked. There is reason to believe that we know the culprit, are locked and loaded depending on verification, but are waiting to hear from the Kingdom as to who they believe was the cause of this attack, and under what terms we would proceed!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2019

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran — without providing evidence — for the drone strikes on a pair of oil refineries in Saudi Arabia, although several news outlets have reported that Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attacks. Tehran denied any involvement in the strikes.

The development comes amid growing tensions between Washington and Tehran. In June, Iran shot down a U.S. drone that had invaded its airspace. The White House had initially said it would retaliate with its own military strike but ultimately called off this response, saying such a move would be “disproportionate.”

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.

— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) September 14, 2019

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

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif responded to Pompeo’s false accusation by mocking the U.S.’s tactic of applying “max pressure” to Tehran.

“Blaming Iran won’t end disaster, Zarif wrote. “Accepting our April ’15 proposal to end war & begin talks may.”

Having failed at “max pressure”, @SecPompeo‘s turning to “max deceit”

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

Blaming Iran won’t end disaster. Accepting our April ’15 proposal to end war & begin talks may.

— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) September 15, 2019

Trump also authorized the use of the U.S.’s emergency oil reserve as a response to the drones strikes in a separate tweet.

Based on the attack on Saudi Arabia, which may have an impact on oil prices, I have authorized the release of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, if needed, in a to-be-determined amount….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2019

….sufficient to keep the markets well-supplied. I have also informed all appropriate agencies to expedite approvals of the oil pipelines currently in the permitting process in Texas and various other States.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2019

The Houthis belong to a local network of militant organizations supported by Iran, Saudi Arabia’s rival in the region. According to The New York Times, both Saudi and U.S. officials believe Iran has sent technicians to Yemen in order to train the Houthis on the use of drones and other weapons technologies.

Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci responded to Trump’s comments in an interview with CNN, saying the president’s remarks reflect a “predictable level of irrationality from him.”

“There’s a vacuum of leadership inside the White House. He… moved out everybody that could potentially disagree with him or offer some level of dissent,” says former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci about President Trump’s response to the Saudi oil attack. pic.twitter.com/Sq2ldc4lDm

— New Day (@NewDay) September 16, 2019

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