Trump orders new Iran sanctions after Saudi attack

President Trump announced that he’s ordered new sanctions on Iran, following an attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities.

While Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has directly blamed Iran for the attack — which forced state-owned Saudi Aramco to halve its production — Trump has stopped short, saying he wanted to wait for a final intelligence report.

It wasn’t clear if Trump’s sanctions announcement signaled that report was completed or whether it determined Iran’s culpability.

Here’s what we know so far about the sanctions and attack:

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) takes part in a meeting with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sept. 8, 2019.

Secretary of State Michael Pompeo met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Wednesday to discuss the attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. 

The pair also discussed “the need for the international community to come together to counter the continued threat of the Iranian regime,” the statement said.

The meeting follows attacks made on the Saudi oil fields last weekend. Pompeo called the attacks an “act of war” earlier Wednesday but did not promise a military response, or provide intelligence that shows the attack was launched from inside Iran.

When Prince Khalid bin Salman, the Saudi deputy defense minister and former Saudi ambassador to the US, met with senior administration officials at the State Department, the Pentagon and the CIA in late August, he gave a clear message: don’t start a military conflict with Iran.

The Saudis want the US to keep up the economic squeeze on Iran and are wary of any action that might start a conflict it could get dragged into, according to two sources familiar with the discussions. 

That message has taken on new significance in light of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Saudi Arabia this week to talk to the Saudis about a response to the attack on its oil refineries. President Trump wants the Saudis to take the lead in any response, since it was an attack on their soil.

There is widespread pressure coming from countries in the Middle East, who are in discussions with the Trump administration to mobilize an appropriate response to the oil field attack. But the US is getting different messages from those countries as to what should happen next and if military intervention is necessary.

Pompeo called the attack on the Saudi oil fields last weekend an “act of war” but did not promise a military response, or detail any new intelligence that shows the attack was launched from inside Iran, when he landed in Saudi Arabia Wednesday.

President Trump said Wednesday that his administration would be announcing sanctions on Iran “over the next 48 hours.”

He also said that his “thinking pretty much remains the same” on the recent attack on Saudi Arabia.

Trump, speaking on a Los Angeles tarmac alongside his new national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, said the US is monitoring the situation in the Middle East closely, adding, “My thinking pretty much remains the same and we haven’t learned much that we didn’t know.”

What happened earlier Wednesday: Trump said he ordered new sanctions on Iran. It wasn’t immediately clear to whom or which sectors the new sanctions would apply. 

The US has ratcheted up sanctions on the country after withdrawing last year from a multi-nation nuclear deal that constrained Iran’s nuclear activity in return for an easing of economic sanctions.

The US “maximum pressure” policy has undermined the nuclear deal, creating tensions with European allies who are trying to keep the nuclear deal afloat. The Trump administration has sanctioned all key Iranian economic sectors, including aviation and shipping. And in May, it hit the lifeblood of Tehran’s economy, sanctioning its energy exports.

President Trump, answering questions about the Saudi oil attack, said he’ll soon have an announcement, but did not provide further details.

Earlier today, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the strike “an Iranian attack” that was an “act of war.” Trump said he has been in touch with Pompeo.

“He just came out with a statement. He spoke to me a little while ago and we’ll have an announcement,” Trump said.

The President said the US will take action “if we have to.”

Asked about the options he’s considering, Trump said, “there are many options.”

“There’s the ultimate option and there are options a lot less than that,” Trump said. When asked what the “ultimate option” means, Trump said war — and added he’s not considering that.

“I’m not talking about that ultimate option, no,” he said.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they can produce more drones and threatened Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates with more attacks on Wednesday.

“We will not hesitate to respond promptly and exceptionally to the countries of aggression, especially Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, if this aggression does not stop,” Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a statement released Wednesday.   

Saree also made a direct threat to the UAE in the statement.

“Only one operation will cost you a lot. We announce for the first time that we have tens of targets in the UAE, including (targets) in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. They could be targeted at any minute,” the statement said.

What we know about Yemen’s Houthi rebels: Houthi rebels said they’re responsible for Saturday’s attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities, but a spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said that Iranian weapons were used in the oil field attack. The spokesperson also said the strikes were not launched from Yemen, despite claims of responsibility by Houthi rebels.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif accused President Trump of escalating an economic war on ordinary Iranians in a tweet on Wednesday. 

Why he’s saying this: Earlier today, Trump ordered new sanctions on Iran.

The President made the announcement as some Republican lawmakers have called for military strikes against Iran and Vice President Mike Pence has suggested a military response is possible.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the strike on Saudi oil facilities “an Iranian attack” that was an “act of war.”

Pompeo stopped short of providing any details definitively showing the Iranians launched the attack from Iran. 

Pompeo, speaking to reporters off-camera before landing in Jeddah, said: “This was an Iranian attack. It’s not the case that you can subcontract out the devastation of 5% of the world’s global energy supply and think that you can absolve yourself from responsibility. Were it the case that the Houthis’ fraudulent claim was accurate, were that true — it’s not, but were that true, it doesn’t change the fingerprints of the Ayatollah as having put at risk the global energy supply.”

Pompeo said the intelligence community has high confidence that the Houthis did not possess weapons systems like the ones used in the attacks. He said that they believe the attacks originated in Iran, not in Iraq.

“As for how we know, the equipment used is unknown to be in the Houthi arsenal,” he said. “These line attack cruise missiles we have never seen there and we think we’ve seen most everything. So the intelligence community has high confidence that these were not weapons that would have been in the possession of the Houthis. That’s probably the most important piece of information.”

“We also know that these are systems that the Iranians have not deployed anyplace else, that they have not deployed outside of their country to the best of our knowledge. We’ve not seen them deploy these types of UAV systems with the kinds of ranges and capabilities nor have we seen them place these missiles where they could have done it. We’ve seen no evidence that it came from Iraq. It could have well have traveled over Kuwait — we’ve not seen that,” Pompeo said. 

He also called the Houthis liars and suggested they do not operate independently from Tehran.

“Whenever you report about them, and you say, ‘The Houthis said,’ you should say ‘The well known frequently lying Houthis have said the following.’ This is important because you ought not report them as if these truth-tellers, as if these are people who aren’t completely under the boot of the Iranians and who would not, at the direction of the Iranians, lay claim to attacks that they did not engage in. Which clearly was the case here,” Pompeo said. “So there you go, whenever you say Houthis, you should begin with, ‘the well-known, frequently known to lie Houthis,’ and then you can write whatever it is they say. And that’d be good reporting (laughter) and I know you care deeply about that good reporting.”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he will meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

What we know about his trip: The pair will discuss Saturday’s attack on Saudi oil facilities and “coordinate efforts to counter Iranian aggression in the region,” according to a State Department statement.

President Trump and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson discussed Saturday’s attacks on the Aramco oil facilities in Saudi Arabia over the phone today.

“The Prime Minister spoke to President Trump this afternoon following Saturday’s attacks on the Aramco oil facilities in Saudi Arabia,” a spokesperson for Downing Street told CNN.

“They condemned the attacks and discussed the need for a united diplomatic response from international partners.”

“They also spoke about Iran and agreed that they must not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon,” the spokesperson added.

The two world leaders also “briefly” discussed Brexit and the upcoming United Nations General Assembly.

Ahead of United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit, Saudi Defense Ministry spokesperson Lt. Col. Turki al Malki said both countries are “working together to preserve the peace and stability in the region.”

He continued: “In Saudi Arabia there are more than 34,000 American people that are living with us. It is important to protect our people and people who live among us.”

Saudi Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Col. Turki al Malki was just asked why Saudi Arabia could not stop the weekend attack on its oil facilities.

He said the country had not failed in defending itself and added it had intercepted more than 230 ballistic missiles.

Investigations into the weekend Saudi oil attacks are ongoing, and Saudi officials are working to determine the exact launch point, Saudi Defense Ministry spokesperson Lt. Col. Col. Turki al Malki said.

“We have a lot of ways and methods to determine the launch point,” al Maliki said.

He added they have a lot of information coming from analysts, but for security reasons he cannot give more details.

The Saudi Defense Ministry showed videos and images of the weapons that were used in the attacks on Saudi oil facilities at a press conference moments ago.

The Saudi Defense Ministry spokesman, Lt. Col. Turki al Malki said the attack itself did not come from the Yemeni side but the attack was carried out from the north to the south. He added that the weapons used in the attack are of Iranian origin. 

Some context: Saudi and US investigators have determined “with very high probability” that the attack on the Saudi oil industry was launched from an Iranian base, according to a source familiar with the investigation. Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they’re responsible.

He said the kingdom has a “strong relationship with the United States.”

“It’s not just for the Saudi and for the international community. We’re working together to preserve the peace and stability in the region and to also secure our national security,” he added.

The Saudi Defense Ministry said it will display images of the weapons used in the attacks on Saudi oil facilities, according to Saudi State-run al Ekhbariya Television.

The ministry said the weapons are Iranian.

The Saudi Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Col. Turki al Malki, is expected to hold a press conference in Riyadh today to show “strong evidence” that Iran is behind the attacks, according to al Ekhbariya. 

Keep in mind: While Saudi and US investigators have determined “with very high probability” that the attack on the Saudi oil industry was launched from an Iranian base, Iran has rejected the accusation that it is responsible.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said earlier today that the Americans cannot achieve their goals with maximum pressure, according to state broadcaster IRIB.

The comments came just hours before President Trump said he is ordering new sanctions on Iran.

Rouhani went on to say, “Instead of creating a positive atmosphere, the American diplomats today are trying to exert maximum slander on Iran with baseless and meaningless accusations.”

According to IRIB, Rouhani said that the Iranian nation is a nation of peace, diplomacy and negotiation. He added that anyone who wants to force the Iranian people through psychological, political and economic pressure must stop this pressure. 

Sen. Lindsey Graham called the weekend attack on the Saudi oil facilities “an act of war,” and said Iran must “pay a price” for the attack.

“This attack on the oil refinery by any reasonable definition is an act of war. It is attacking the world economy,” Graham said. “In addition to attacking the refinery in Saudi Arabia, the Iranians are increasing enrichment, putting them closer to a bomb.”

Remember: While Saudi and US investigators have determined “with very high probability” that the attack on the Saudi oil industry was launched from an Iranian base, Iran has rejected the accusation that it is responsible. President Trump has said that “it’s looking like” Iran was behind the attacks.

Graham, when asked if Trump’s sanctions on Iran are enough, said “in the past they haven’t been.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (l.) sits beside Russia's President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit in Osaka on June 28, 2019.

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the recent attack on Saudi oil facilities in a phone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the Kremlin said Wednesday in a statement. 

According the Kremlin, the two leaders also talked about the situation in global oil markets. The call was initiated by the Saudi side, the Kremlin said. 

Some background: Russia and Saudi Arabia have been the key drivers behind an agreement on supply curbs by OPEC and non-OPEC oil producers that was introduced to bolster oil prices.

President Trump has named Robert O’Brien, the US hostage negotiator, as his new national security adviser.

The announcement came a week after Trump fired John Bolton over disagreements on Iran and other issues.

President Trump this morning said he’s ordered new sanctions on Iran, the latest escalation in tensions between the two countries following the attack over the weekend on Saudi oil facilities.

Here’s what we know so far about the attacks: