Representative Ro Khanna of California, September 16: “[Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo’s statement immediately blaming Iran for the drone attack on Saudi oil fields is reminiscent of the Bush administration jumping to conclusions about weapons of mass destruction. The Houthis are NOT Iran. We can’t let another deception lead to war in the Middle East.”
Late yesterday, the governments of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement concurring with the U.S. assessment that Iran launched the attack:
We, the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, recall our shared common security interests, in particular upholding the global non-proliferation regime and preserving stability in the Middle East.
We condemn in the strongest terms the attacks on oil facilities on Saudi territory on September 14th, 2019 in Abqaiq and Khurais, and reaffirm in this context our full solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its population.
It is clear to us that Iran bears responsibility for this attack. There is no other plausible explanation. We support ongoing investigations to establish further details.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo presumably gets all of the best assessments from the U.S. intelligence committee as soon as it is ready to be briefed. Apparently his statement wasn’t “jumping to conclusions” and “deception” after all.