France, Germany, UK blame Iran for Aramco attack

By Gozde Bayar

ANKARA (AA) - France, Germany and the U.K. on Monday blamed Iran for an attack earlier this month on Saudi oil facilities.

“It is clear to us that Iran bears responsibility for this attack. There is no other plausible explanation. We support the ongoing investigations for full details," the three governments said in a joint statement.

They also condemned the Sept. 14 attack, in which armed drones and missiles were reportedly used against sites run by state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco and reaffirmed their solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its people.

Drones hit two Aramco units in the north of Saudi Arabia in the attack, which was claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Since 2015, the Saudi-led coalition has been fighting the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. Thousands of Yemenis were killed and the country was pushed to the brink of famine.

In recent months, Houthis, whose mid- and long-range ballistic missiles are usually intercepted by Saudi air defense systems, have targeted certain strategic parts of Saudi Arabia with armed drones.