One of the world’s riskiest situations is developing in one of the most volatile regions of the world, the Middle East, after oil production facilities were bombed by drones. The US has blamed Iran. The US has close ties with Saudi Arabia.
Oil production has been affected, with prices surging following the attack (but settling back a bit since).
MSN: Saudis face lengthy oil halt with few options to fill gap
The oil market is facing a prolonged disruption to Saudi Arabia’s oil production with few options for replacing such huge output losses.
The weekend attacks on the kingdom eliminated about 5% of global oil supply — and raised the risk of more conflict in the region — propelling Brent crude to a record surge on Monday. Officials at state oil company Saudi Aramco have become less optimistic on the pace of output recovery, telling a senior foreign diplomat they face a “severe” disruption measured in weeks and months and informing some customers that October shipments will be delayed.
The historic price gain underscores the unprecedented nature of the disruption caused by the drone attack on the Abqaiq crude processing plant. For decades, Saudi Arabia has been the oil market’s great stabilizer, maintaining a large cushion of spare production capacity that can be tapped in emergencies, such as the 2011 war in Libya.
The halt of 5.7 million barrels day of the kingdom’s production — the worst sudden supply loss in history — exposes the inadequacy of the rest of the world’s supply buffer.
Petrol prices have already risen in New Zealand. I don’t know why that has happened so quickly, petrol in tanks here should be the same price as it was last week. Is there any other market that changes prices based on possible future cost rises?
ABC News: U.S. intel shows cruise missiles fired at Saudi oil facility came from Iran, officials say
The attack on a major Saudi oil facility originated geographically from Iranian territory, with a series of low-altitude cruise missiles fired from at least one location in the western region of the country, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the latest intelligence.
The intelligence assessment draws a more clear link between the attack and Iran, and it could worsen tensions between Washington and Tehran.
U.S. officials are considering possible multilateral sanctions with allies against Iran as part of the response to the attacks…
The Department of Defense has advocated for restraint. But it has provided a briefing on military options to President Donald Trump, who over the weekend tweeted that the U.S. is “locked and loaded” and ready to respond, once it officially determined who was behind the attack.
Three U.S. officials previously told NBC News there was extremely compelling evidence showing the origination point of the strikes, and one official with direct knowledge described that evidence as imagery.
That’s image based imagery, not imaginary.
A Saudi military spokesman says initial investigations show Iranian weapons were used in the attack.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tuesday no talks would take place between Iran and the U.S. “on any level…
Reuters: U.S. lawmakers blast Iran, wary of war, after Saudi oil attack
Members of the U.S. Congress blasted Iran after the attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities, but expressed wariness about U.S. military action, especially before they have a clearer picture of who was behind it.
President Donald Trump said the United States was “locked and loaded” to hit back after Saturday’s attack, which knocked out more than half of Saudi Arabia’s oil production and damaged the world’s biggest crude processing plant.
Iran denied U.S. accusations it was to blame and said it was ready for “full-fledged war.”
U.S. lawmakers, especially Trump’s fellow Republicans, were quick to blame Tehran.
Mitch McConnell, the Senate’s Republican majority leader, called it “a brazen attack” with significant implications for the global energy market and said he welcomed Trump’s preparation to potentially release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to stabilize markets if necessary.
Many lawmakers stressed that Congress, not the president, has the right to declare war and warned against any quick military action.
Trump may not be able to initiate quick military action on his own, but he is capable of escalating tensions and the prospects of war via Twitter.
Military action would likely put oil production and supply at even more risk.
Congress, with backing from both Republicans and Democrats, has passed – but Trump has vetoed – four bills seeking to push back against Trump’s strong support for the Saudi government, despite its human rights record and steep civilian casualties in the war in Yemen.
Trump and the US say nothing against Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the Yemeni war – and supply the Saudis with arms.
Wikipedia: 2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal
On May 20, 2017, U.S. President Trump and Saudi Arabia’s Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud signed a series of letters of intent for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to purchase arms from the United States totaling US$110 billion immediately, and $350 billion over 10 years. The intended purchases include tanks, combat ships, missile defense systems, as well as radar, communications and cybersecurity technology. The transfer was widely seen as a counterbalance against the influence of Iran in the region and a “significant” and “historic” expansion of United States relations with Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is a key U.S. ally in the Middle East.
Between 2011 and 2015, Saudi Arabia was the destination for nearly 10% of all U.S. arms exports
The 2017 deal was partially created with the help of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of and senior advisor to President Trump
So the attack on the Saudi oil production facilities raises tensions significantly between the US and Iran. The risks may temper responses, but I think it likely that there will be some sort of retaliation. Economic sanctions are already in place against Iran, so that must be a limited option. If Iran is indeed responsible for the attack it may in part be an attempt to enhance the value of their own oil to compensate for sanctions.
Whatever, it’s complex and it’s a high risk game being played in the Middle East that could significantly impact on the world.