UN chief says missiles, drones used to attack Saudi Arabia of 'Iranian origin'

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reportedly told the Security Council that the cruise missiles used to attack oil facilities in Saudi Arabia were of “Iranian origin”. The UN chief reports to the council twice a year on the implementation of the arms embargo on Iran under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as Iran nuclear deal.

According to media reports, Guterres said that the UN examined the debris of weapons used in the attacks on Saudi oil facilities and concluded that the missiles and/or the parts used in the attacks were of Iranian origin. He added that the drones used in attacks on an oil facility in Afif and Aramco oil facilities in Khurais and Abqaiq were of Iranian origin.

The UN chief reportedly also told the council that several items in the US seizures of weapons in late 2019 and early 2020 were of Iranian origin. Guterres said that all these items may have been transferred in a manner inconsistent with the Security Council resolution on Iran nuclear deal that prevents the country from developing nuclear weapons.

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Iran nuclear deal

The United States, Russia, China, Germany, Britain and France entered a deal in 2015 agreeing to provide sanctions relief to Iran in lieu of preventing it from developing nuclear weapons. Later in 2018, US President Donald Trump announced Washington’s withdrawal from the deal, calling it “the worst deal ever”.

Last year, the UK, France, and Germany had blamed Iran for the attacks on Saudi oil facilities saying Tehran bears the full responsibility of the attack. In a joint statement, the three signatories of the JCPOA said that there is no other plausible explanation and that they support ongoing investigations to establish further details.

Even after a firm statement regarding the attacks on Abqaiq and Khurais oil facilities, all the three countries reaffirmed their support for the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. However, they had urged Iran to reverse its decision to reduce compliance with the deal and asked Iran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the framework of the deal.

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(With agency inputs)