"Looking like" Iran is to blame for Saudi oil attacks but U.S. doesn't want war: Trump
- 5 years ago
Over the past few days,... fingers have been pointing left and right over who was responsible for last weekend's drone attack on critical Saudi Arabia's oil facilities that seriously disrupted the global crude market.
The Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen insist it was them, but U.S. President Donald Trump is strongly leaning toward it being Iran.
Kim Mok-yeon reports.
The U.S. is again pointing an accusing finger at Iran over last weekend's drone strikes on two major oil plants in Saudi Arabia.
Speaking at the White House on Monday, President Trump said it looks like Iran was behind the attacks, but stressed he does not want war with Iran.
But even so, Trump added that Washington has the best weapons systems in the world, stressing the U.S. is more prepared for conflict than any other country in history.
"No, I don't want war with anybody but we're prepared more than anybody...We have military power the likes of which the world has never seen I'm not concerned at all, I'd like to avoid it. We now have more ammunition, more missiles more rockets, tanks, we have more of everything that we had before."
However, he said the U.S. is not looking at retaliatory options until they have definitive proof Tehran was responsible.
The remarks reflect a softer tone from the U.S. leader compared to previous days, as
Trump tweeted Sunday that Washington was quote "locked and loaded" over Iran.
Iran continues to reject the allegations.
Though a Saudi-led coalition claimed on Monday that Yemen's Houthi rebels carried out the attacks with Iranian weapons, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani insisted the strikes were not linked with his country, and claimed they were a reciprocal measure by "Yemeni people" to assaults against them.
"Yemeni people are exercising their legitimate right of defense. The attacks are reciprocal and the main solution is to halt these attacks. The solution for Yemeni crisis is also political. We believe in that."
Saudi Arabia's ministry of Foreign Affairs says internal investigations are still ongoing to determine the source of the attack.
Last Saturday's drone attack caused the temporary shutdown of the plants and prompted global oil prices to spike.
Kim Mok-yeon, Arirang News.
(19)
5. Title: Drone strikes in Saudi Arabia raise alert on anti-drone systems in South Korea
The Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen insist it was them, but U.S. President Donald Trump is strongly leaning toward it being Iran.
Kim Mok-yeon reports.
The U.S. is again pointing an accusing finger at Iran over last weekend's drone strikes on two major oil plants in Saudi Arabia.
Speaking at the White House on Monday, President Trump said it looks like Iran was behind the attacks, but stressed he does not want war with Iran.
But even so, Trump added that Washington has the best weapons systems in the world, stressing the U.S. is more prepared for conflict than any other country in history.
"No, I don't want war with anybody but we're prepared more than anybody...We have military power the likes of which the world has never seen I'm not concerned at all, I'd like to avoid it. We now have more ammunition, more missiles more rockets, tanks, we have more of everything that we had before."
However, he said the U.S. is not looking at retaliatory options until they have definitive proof Tehran was responsible.
The remarks reflect a softer tone from the U.S. leader compared to previous days, as
Trump tweeted Sunday that Washington was quote "locked and loaded" over Iran.
Iran continues to reject the allegations.
Though a Saudi-led coalition claimed on Monday that Yemen's Houthi rebels carried out the attacks with Iranian weapons, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani insisted the strikes were not linked with his country, and claimed they were a reciprocal measure by "Yemeni people" to assaults against them.
"Yemeni people are exercising their legitimate right of defense. The attacks are reciprocal and the main solution is to halt these attacks. The solution for Yemeni crisis is also political. We believe in that."
Saudi Arabia's ministry of Foreign Affairs says internal investigations are still ongoing to determine the source of the attack.
Last Saturday's drone attack caused the temporary shutdown of the plants and prompted global oil prices to spike.
Kim Mok-yeon, Arirang News.
(19)
5. Title: Drone strikes in Saudi Arabia raise alert on anti-drone systems in South Korea