Saudi attack: Iran rules out talks with US

Dubai/Washington, September 17

Iran’s supreme leader on Tuesday ruled out talks with Washington after President Donald Trump blamed Tehran for a crippling attack on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities.

Saudi King Salman called on governments around the world to confront the threats to oil supplies and global economic stability posed by the weekend attack. European allies said the crisis should be addressed collectively.  Trump said on Monday that it looked like Iran was behind the strike at the heart of the Saudi oil industry, which cut 5 per cent of global production, but stressed he did not want to go to war. Iran denied it was to blame.

“Iranian officials, at any level, will never talk to American officials ... this is part of their policy to put pressure on Iran,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said. He said talks could only take place if the US returned to a nuclear accord between Iran and the West that Trump abandoned last year.

The Saudi attack could harm French diplomacy meant to avert feared US-Iranian conflict, diplomats said after French President Emmanuel Macron’s top envoy held talks in Saudi Arabia. They said France was trying to pinpoint the origin of strike as it wants to defuse tension.   — Reuters

Was launched from Iranian soil: US official

The US has concluded the weekend attack on Saudi oil facilities was launched from Iranian soil and cruise missiles were involved, a US official said. The official, who declined to be identified, said the US was gathering evidence about the attack to present to the international community, notably European allies, at the UN General Assembly next week.