Attack on Saudi wells: UN sees no confirmation of Iranian involvement

Secretary General Antonio Guterres reports to a meeting at the Security Council. At the time bin Salman had spoken of Tehran's "act of war"; accusations confirmed by the USA and Europe. From the analysis of the fragments "it is not possible to say" that the rockets and drones used are of Iranian origin.

New York (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The United Nations is unable to "independently confirm" that the missiles and drones used in last September's attacks on Saudi oil wells "are of Iranian origin".

The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, said this yesterday during a meeting with the Security Council. In the days following the attack, the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) had spoken of Iran's "act of war".

The United States, European nations and Saudi Arabia had pointed the finger at the Islamic Republic over the September 14 incidents. In the following hours the Houthi in neighboring Yemen - at war for three years against a coalition led by Riyadh and supported by Tehran - had claimed the attack.

However, Western powers and the Wahhabi kingdom had used the story to try to target Iran, increase pressure and accentuate its international isolation. The leaders of the Islamic Republic immediately denied all involvement.

According to Guterres, UN experts have examined the fragments of weapons used in the attacks on the Saudi Afif refinery in May, at the Abha international airport in June and August and at the Aramco refineries in Khurais and Abqaiq in September. " At this time, it is unable to independently corroborate that the cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles used in these attacks are of Iranian origin,” he wrote.

In particular, the attacks that hit the Abqaiq and Khurais plants caused a surge in oil prices; the fires and the consequent damages to the attack have caused repercussions also on a global scale, with a 5% drop in world production. Production returned to full capacity on October 3rd.

United Nations experts monitoring sanctions against Iran and Yemen headed to Saudi Arabia in the days following the accident. The report noted that Yemen’s Houthis “have not shown to be in possession, nor been assessed to be in possession” of the type of drones used in the attacks on the Aramco facilities.

The general secretary reports twice a year to the Security Council on the application of the embargo on the sale of arms to Iran and other restrictions, also implemented in the aftermath of the signing of the nuclear agreement in 2015. Next week the Council itself will be called to discuss the results that emerged from the report itself.

In September, following the attacks on oil wells, Saudi Arabia said it wanted to wait for the results of the investigations before officially commenting. The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir –stated “when the team that’s investigating has concluded its investigations we will make the announcements publicly".