Saudi Arabia says Oil attacks 'unquestionably sponsored by Iran'

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia accused Iran of "unquestionably" sponsoring the attacks on its oil infrastructure.

Showing debris from the alleged weapons used at a press conference on Wednesday, a defense ministry spokesman said there was no way the strikes could have been launched from Yemen, as claimed by the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.

Colonel Turki al-Malki said the recovered drone and missile parts provided "undeniable" evidence of Iranian aggression.

Al-Malki said Iranian Delta Wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) were used in addition to cruise missiles. Parts from 18 UAVs were recovered, he said.

Saudi officials said the cruise missile, which had what appeared to be a jet engine attached to it, was a land-attack cruise missile that failed to explode.

"The attack was launched from the north and unquestionably sponsored by Iran," he told a news conference. "We are working to know the exact launch point."

Al-Malki didn't directly blame Iran for the attack when asked by journalists. He said once "the culprits" were definitively identified they would "be held accountable".

Tehran has denied being involved and warned the US it would retaliate "immediately" if targeted over it.

Iran has stuck with its account that the Houthi rebels are responsible, with President Hassan Rouhani saying on Wednesday they carried out the strike as a "warning" about a possible wider war in response to the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler, on Wednesday, said the attack on the heart of the kingdom's oil industry was a "real test" of global will.

On Saturday, the attack struck the world's biggest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia, as well as an oil field.

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