RIYADH (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th October, 2019) Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Jubeir denied on Sunday his country's involvement in the recent attack on the Iranian tanker in the Red Sea, stressing that his country does not "engage in such a behavior."
On Friday, Iranian media reported that an explosion had set the National Iranian Oil Company's tanker on fire 60 miles from the Saudi port city of Jeddah, suggesting it was a terrorist attack. The Iranian Foreign Ministry subsequently said that the vessel had suffered two attacks with an interval of around 30 minutes in the Red Sea and had been damaged.
"We do not engage in such a behavior at all," Jubeir told reporters, when asked whether Saudi Arabia denied its involvement in the attack on the Iranian tanker.
The minister pointed out that there were conflicting reports of the incident, including whether the strikes or spills of oil actually took place.
"The story is not still complete so let's wait and find out what happened before we jump to conclusions. So I will leave it at that," Jubeir said, when asked if Saudi Arabia planned to participate in the investigation into the incident given that it took place close to its shores.
Following the incident, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said that Tehran would proportionally respond to the attack in the Red Sea, but first it would investigate who was behind the incident.
