Moscow Maintains Contact With Riyadh After Attack on Saudi Oil Facilities

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th September, 2019) Russia is in contact with Saudi Arabia on the investigation into the recent attack on Riyadh's major oil facilities, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told Sputnik on Wednesday.

The drone attacks on two Saudi Aramco plants, in Abqaiq and Khurais, were carried out on September 14. As a result of significant damage done to the facilities, the production of around 5.7 million barrels of crude oil per day was suspended, which accounts for over a half of Saudi Arabia's total daily output.

"We are in contact, and we are taking steps to find out the background of what has happened," Bogdanov said.

He did not specify whether Russia planned to send its experts to Saudi Arabia to investigate the incident, along the United States and France.

While Yemen's Houthi movement, which the Saudi-led coalition fights against, has claimed the responsibility for the attacks, US State Secretary Mike Pompeo has accused Iran of being behind it. Apart from that, France, Germany and the United Kingdom have also put the blame on Iran in a joint statement. However, Tehran has refuted the claims.