UK Stands By Saudi Arabia After Attacks On Saudi Aramco's Oil Facilities - Johnson

UK Stands by Saudi Arabia After Attacks on Saudi Aramco's Oil Facilities - Johnson

LONDON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2019) UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a telephone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday evening and said that London stood by Riyadh after the recent attacks on Saudi Aramco's oil facilities, the UK government press service said.

"He [Johnson] expressed the UK's condemnation of the attacks and said the UK stands by Saudi Arabia and is committed to the country's security. The two leaders noted the need to establish the facts of what happened and the Prime Minister reiterated the importance of a collective response. He encouraged the Crown Prince to continue working with international partners," the press release said.

Over the weekend, Saudi Aramco had to close two its compounds, the Abqaiq and Khurais facilities, after they were hit by drones and then caught fire.

The incident led to a cut in oil production totaling 5.7 million barrels per day � about half of Saudi Arabia's daily oil output. The closure of oil facilities triggered a surge of oil prices worldwide.

Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said on Tuesday that oil supplies reduced after the attack on Saudi oil facilities had returned to their previous levels.

While the perpetrators of the attack remain unknown and the investigation into the incident is underway, the responsibility was already claimed by the military wing of Yemen's Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis. The United States, in the meantime, has put the blame on Iran. Tehran has refuted the accusation.