Iran oil minister slams Saudi hyperbole over attacks on Aramco
Iran’s Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh says Saudi Arabia deliberately exaggerated about attacks on its oil facilities to advance certain political objectives.
Zanganeh said on Monday that Iran had nothing to gain from attacks on oil processing plants east of Saudi Arabia on September 14, for which Yemen’s ruling militia-led government has claimed responsibility.
“I made the case from the beginning that Saudi Arabia exaggerated for political purposes,” said Zangeneh, adding, “The real story was not like this.”
Some authorities in Saudi Arabia, the world’s leading crude exporter, have blamed Iran for the attacks which initially cut the kingdom’s oil production in half.
Those authorities claim that Iran could benefit from the disruptions caused by the attacks through restoring its own sale of oil which has been hampered since American sanctions on the country were toughened in May.
Zangeneh rejected the claims while insisting that the attacks on Abqaiq and Khurais plants had no impact at all on Iran’s daily oil exports.
The minister made the comments in response to questions by ILNA news agency. They came a day after the long-serving Iranian minister issued a warning to officials responsible for safety at Iran’s oil installations, saying they should take strict measures to prevent potential acts of sabotage affecting processing plants and refineries.
Zanganeh said in a Sunday message that targeting Iran’s oil facilities through “physical and cyber attacks” is part of a strategy by the enemies to maximize pressure on the country at the time of economic sanctions.
Recent reports in major media outlets in the US have confirmed that Washington is considering cyber attacks on Iran’s oil facilities.
Iran has reported similar attempts in the past targeting its nuclear power plants.
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