Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman on Wednesday called the attack on major oil facilities in the Middle Eastern country “a real test of the international will” to face acts that threaten global stability.
Bin Salman’s statement came during a phone call with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Attacks affect whole world: Moon
Moon said that the attack on two facilities operated by Saudi state oil giant Aramco in the eastern province of Buqyaq on Saturday not only affected the nation, but also the whole world.
The South Korean leader urged the international community to “take firm stance and action towards such sabotage attacks”.
Bin Salman was scheduled to receive US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah on Wednesday. The top US official had blamed Tehran for the attack, describing it as an “unprecedented attack on the world’s energy supply” and rejected a claim of responsibility from the Iran-linked Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Iran has refuted Pompeo’s “blind and abortive comments that are obscure and meaningless within a diplomatic framework”.
Saudi Arabia starts investigation
Saudi Arabia opened an investigation into the incident and invited international and UN experts to participate in it.
On Tuesday, Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman said the country’s oil supply had returned to pre-attack levels.
Riyadh had announced it was joining the US-led naval coalition to protect shipping in the Persian Gulf after a series of attacks on oil tankers.