Copenhagen, Sep 24 (AP/UNB) — The head of the Swedish shipping firm that owns the British-flagged oil tanker held by Iran since July says Stena Impero is still in Iranian waters.

Erik Hanell, CEO of Stena Bulk, told The AP Tuesday that "we know nothing as to why she is still there."

On Monday, an Iranian government spokesman said legal proceedings had concluded and the vessel, which has been kept in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas since July 19, was free to move.

Iran seized the tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of the world's oil passes.

The seizure came after authorities in Gibraltar seized an Iranian tanker carrying $130 million in crude oil on suspicion of it breaking European Union sanctions on Syria.

Tehran, Sep 21 (AP/UNB) — The chief of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard says his forces are ready for combat and "any scenario" as the country's nuclear deal with world powers collapses and tensions with the U.S. soar.

Gen. Hossein Salami said Saturday that his forces have carried out "war exercise and are ready for any scenario."

Salami was speaking during a ceremony showing pieces of the American drone shot down by the Guard in June.

He added: "If anyone crosses our borders, we will hit them."

His comments came as the U.S. alleges Iran was behind a weekend attack on major oil sites in Saudi Arabia. Iran denies the charge and says any retaliatory strike could result in "all-out war."

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.