UN Chief Slams Attacks On Two Saudi Oil Facilities

UNITED NATIONS, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Sep, 2019 ) :UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned Saturday's attacks on two oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and called for de-escalation in the region.

"The Secretary-General condemns Saturday's attacks on Aramco oil facilities in the Eastern Province in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia claimed by the Houthis," his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement issued on Sunday.

"The Secretary-General calls upon all parties to exercise maximum restraint, prevent any escalation amid heightened tensions and to comply at all times with International Humanitarian Law," the statement added.

The attacks will cut the kingdom's output by 5.7 million barrels per day (bpd), according to a statement from state-run oil company Saudi Aramco, or more than 5% of global oil supply.

The pre-dawn strikes follow earlier cross-border attacks on Saudi oil installations and on oil tankers in Persian Gulf waters, but these were the most brazen yet, temporarily crippling much of the nation's production capacity.

Saudi Arabia is the world's biggest exporter, shipping more than 7 million barrels of oil to global destinations every day, and for years has served as the supplier of last resort to markets.