International writing..- US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was unaware of the attack that Israel would carry out on the Pars Sur natural gas field in the Persian Gulf that Iran shares with Qatar.
Saudi Arabia says two refineries in Riyadh have been attacked
Saudi Arabia said on Thursday that two of its refineries in Riyadh have been attacked, according to the Al Jazeera network, while Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud stated that the country reserves the right to take military action against Iran if necessary.
“Attacking Riyadh while several diplomats are meeting, I cannot see it as a coincidence and I believe it is a clear signal of what Iran thinks of diplomacy. It does not believe in talking to its neighbors, it tries to pressure them,” asserted Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud at the end of a meeting of foreign ministers from Arab and Muslim countries in the Saudi capital, according to a video broadcast by Al Jazeera.
“It’s not going to work, the kingdom is not going to succumb to pressure. On the contrary, this pressure will be counterproductive,” he added, raising his voice with Tehran, before assuring that Saudi Arabia reserves the right to take military action if necessary.
The Saudi chancellor said that two Riyadh refineries were hit by attacks, in statements to the press after the aforementioned meeting, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Iran threatens to destroy the Gulf’s energy sector
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard assured this Thursday that it will continue to attack the energy infrastructure of the United States’ allies in the Persian Gulf until its “complete destruction,” if attacks against Iranian facilities are repeated.
“We warn you once again that you have made a serious mistake by attacking the energy infrastructure of the Islamic Republic. If this is repeated, we will not cease attacks against your energy infrastructure and that of your allies until its complete destruction,” warned in a statement published by the Fars agency.
Iran attacked the Ras Laffan refinery in Qatar on Wednesday night, among other targets, in response to a previous bombing against the Pars Sur gas facilities on the Iranian southern coast.
The Revolutionary Guard threatened a “much more severe” response next time if its facilities are attacked again.
In its message, the elite military body indicated that “it had no intention of extending the scope of the war to oil installations or of harming the economies of friendly and neighboring countries,” but that with the aggression against Pars Sur, it considers that “a new phase of the war” has begun.
“The need to defend Iranian infrastructure forced us to attack energy facilities linked to the United States and its partners,” he stressed.
A tanker leaves the Strait of Hormuz
A large oil tanker flying the flag of Barbados was forced to leave the Strait of Hormuz this Thursday after Iranian forces entered a position of attack.
According to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, cited by the Fars agency, the ship was carrying 160,000 tons of oil and was intercepted while trying to enter the Strait of Hormuz.
The tanker changed course after Iranian forces went on alert and adopted an attack position, Fars reported.
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New Impact Against a Ship Near Hormuz
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO), which monitors the safety of ships and sailors around the world, alerted this Thursday of a new attack against a tanker near the Strait of Hormuz.
According to a message on their X account, the vessel was hit 11 nautical miles (20 kilometers) east of the coast of the United Arab Emirates by an “unknown projectile” that caused a fire on board.
Ormuz, a route through which 20% of maritime hydrocarbon trade passes, is blocked by Iran in response to attacks by Israel and the United States against its territory.
