State Dept Claims September Attack on Saudi an ‘Act of War’ by Iran

UN has cautioned there is no evidence Iran is behind attack

A September drone strike against Saudi Arabian oil production facilities remains a big talking point for US officials, despite increasing doubts about US claims Iran was to blame for the incident, which was claimed by the Houthi movement in Yemen.

US Special Representative Brian Hook once again blamed Iran for the attack, calling it “an act of war,” and further blaming the P5+1 nuclear deal for raising the risk of a regional conflict over Iran’s fate.

Virtually the day of the attack, the US blamed Iran, and has continued to do so. UN officials in the past week warned that they still don’t have good evidence that the weapons involved in the Saudi attack were Iranian in origin.

Yemen’s Houthis have been clear they launched the attack, while Iran has denied involvement. The US had previously reconciled this with claims that Iran and the Houthis are interchangeable, but other State Department officials have since admitted they are distinct groups, leaving the allegation on flimsy ground.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.