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.

Dubai, Sep 14 (AP/UNB) — Drones claimed by Yemen's Houthi rebels attacked the world's largest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia and a major oilfield operated by Saudi Aramco early Saturday, sparking a huge fire at a processor crucial to global energy supplies.

It wasn't clear if there were any injuries in the attacks in Buqyaq and the Khurais oil field, nor what effect it would have on oil production in the kingdom. The attack also likely will heighten tensions further across the wider Persian Gulf amid a confrontation between the U.S. and Iran over its unraveling nuclear deal with world powers. The Houthis are backed by Tehran amid a yearslong Saudi-led war against them in Yemen.

Online videos apparently shot in Buqyaq included the sound of gunfire in the background. Smoke rose over the skyline and glowing flames could be seen a distance away at the Abqaiq oil processing facility.

Saudi state television later aired a segment with a correspondent there as smoke from the blazes clearly rose behind. That smoke also was visible from space.

The fires began after the sites were "targeted by drones," the Interior Ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency. It said an investigation into the attack was underway.

In a short address aired by the Houthi's Al-Masirah satellite news channel, military spokesman Yahia Sarie said the rebels launched 10 drones in their coordinated attack on the sites. He warned attacks by the rebels would only get worse if the war continues.

"The only option for the Saudi government is to stop attacking us," Sarie said.

The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh said it was "unaware of any injuries to American citizens."

Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil giant, did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press. The kingdom hopes soon to offer a sliver of the company in an initial public offering.

Saudi Aramco describes its Abqaiq oil processing facility in Buqyaq as "the largest crude oil stabilization plant in the world."

The facility processes sour crude oil into sweet crude, then later transports onto transshipment points on the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. Estimates suggest it can process up to 7 million barrels of crude oil a day.

The plant has been targeted in the past by militants. Al-Qaida-claimed suicide bombers tried but failed to attack the oil complex in February 2006.

The Khurais oil field is believed to produce over 1 million barrels of crude oil a day. It has estimated reserves of over 20 billion barrels of oil, according to Aramco.

There was no immediate impact on global oil prices as markets were closed for the weekend across the world. Benchmark Brent crude had been trading at just above $60 a barrel.

Buqyaq is some 330 kilometers (205 miles) northeast of the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

The Saudi-led coalition has been battling the rebels since March 2015. The Iranian-backed Houthis hold Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and other territory in the Arab world's poorest country.

The war has become the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The violence has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine and killed more than 90,000 people since 2015, according to the U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, or ACLED, which tracks the conflict.

Since the start of the Saudi-led war, Houthi rebels have been using drones in combat. The first appeared to be off-the-shelf, hobby-kit-style drones. Later, versions nearly identical to Iranian models turned up. Iran denies supplying the Houthis with weapons, although the U.N., the West and Gulf Arab nations say Tehran does.

The rebels have flown drones into the radar arrays of Saudi Arabia's Patriot missile batteries, according to Conflict Armament Research, disabling them and allowing the Houthis to fire ballistic missiles into the kingdom unchallenged. The Houthis launched drone attacks targeting Saudi Arabia's crucial East-West Pipeline in May as tensions heightened between Iran and the U.S. In August, Houthi drones struck Saudi Arabia's Shaybah oil field, which produces some 1 million barrels of crude oil a day near its border with the United Arab Emirates.

U.N. investigators said the Houthis' new UAV-X drone, found in recent months during the Saudi-led coalition's war in Yemen, likely has a range of up to 1,500 kilometers (930 miles).

That puts the far reaches of both Saudi Arabia and the UAE in range.