Drone attacks cause fire at two Saudi Aramco facilities, blaze now under control

[Jan van Eck + 7,558]

9 minutes ago, Douglas Buckland said:

in an effort to keep you out of the Rebar Hotel,

A local farmer got seriously pissed on some dirt back road, where he was hauling a manure spreader behind his tractor and ran into one of these guys.  After a vitriolic exchange, he pulled past the BP cruiser and turned on the manure spreader.  That car was totally covered with liquid and semi-solid manure.  When the BP guy got it back to the Border Station, they had to spend the afternoon washing it all off!  

He got busted for it, I think they charged him with disorderly conduct, but the locals just loved it.  All over the press.  So the Judge says:  "Manure.  Doesn't that just wash off?"   Hysterical.   Don't mess with some crusty old Vermont farmer.  Tough crowd.  Plus, they have lots and lots of shit on hand.  Nature of the beast, I suppose. 

[Otis11 + 551]

3 hours ago, Jan van Eck said:

Fascism is very much the trend of the day.  Fascism is appealing to the small mind, as it allows for complete suppression of views that do not adhere to the mainline thinking of those that have set themselves up as the Rulers.  You find fascist thinking throughout the planet, including even in nominal parliamental democracies such as Canada. 

The local expression of Fascist thinking is in various enforcement agencies such as policemen, where the expression of fascism is in "compliance."  Now, "compliance" is defined as whatever those men think it should be defined as.  For example, in Vermont the US Border Patrol, Division of "Homeland Security," has set up a "checkpoint" on a sleepy little backwater road that runs over a causeway between a set of islands in Lake Champlain and the main shoreline.  Then these Greenshirts stop every single car and demand:  "Are you a US Citizen?" 

If you say "Yes,"  you can pass.  If you say "No," you are detained.  If you refuse to answer, or tell them they are total morons, you are detained. If you tell them they are a bunch of losers, that the reason they got hired was because they got all "C's" in high school, you are detained.  If you tell them they are bullies today because they used to steal the lunch money from the second graders on the school bus, you are detained.  Is this "legal"?  Of course not.  Do the fascists do it anyway?  But of course.  Do they ever "catch" anyone?  Out of roughly 900 stops, they find one Mexican farmworker, some guy who is here milking cows and shoveling manure out of the barn for a few bucks, to support his family back home.  Is this totally ridiculous?  Of course it is. 

 

Turns out if you say 'I realize you're just following orders, but denying my free and unobstructed passage on a federal highway is an unconstitutional violation of my rights. I'd like to spe...'

They tell you to move along before you can even finish your rant... (Or at least it's worked for me in Texas, NM, and AZ...)

Only had it 'fail' once - the guy turned around and said 'uh' and his manager/commander/whatever was right behind him. That guy then told me to 'stop'. 'So am I being unlawfully detained?' 'Hell no, just stop talking and get out of here'

Might give it a try...

(And i'd expect this to be a much bigger issue on the southern border...Not sure why they're doing it in Vermont...)

[Jan van Eck + 7,558]

19 minutes ago, Otis11 said:

(And i'd expect this to be a much bigger issue on the southern border...Not sure why they're doing it in Vermont...)

They do it because they can.   Also, remember that this Northern Border is totally sleepy, nothing much happens here, except for the occasional marijuana smuggler, that sort of thing.  The Border Patrol has nothing to do so they go invent work for themselves.

There is a cut in the forest called "the slash" that runs between Quebec and Vermont - New Hampshire, it is about 20 feet wide and runs where the govt thinks the border might be  (nobody knows, as the surveyors that did it 200 years ago were apparently quite drunk). The Feds have rigged it up with these fancy sensors.  So the local amuse themselves by going out and tripping the sensors and laughing as the BP guys come racing along to try to intercept an Alien Intruder.  In the Winter they come roaring up on snowmobiles; in Summer on horseback.  The locals have a good laugh.

As to non-residents, it turns out that Mexican nationals no longer need a visa to enter Canada, so what happens is that Latinos fly up to Montreal and then get smuggled over the line into the States along the border:  NY, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine.  Most are there for dairy farm work, some for picking the apple crop, some work on the haying fields.  There are a small number that walk across the Border then get picked up and driven down to New York City, typically Romanians and Chinese. The numbers are insignificant.  Busting farm workers seems to be the ultimate focus.  It enrages the locals, especially the rural parts, as everybody in the State recognizes that the agriculture segment will collapse one the Mexican farmhands are shooed out.  So the locals set up these "sanctuary cities" deals where the town cops are flatly forbidden to even talk to the Feds, and the State will issue a driver's license to a Mexican National here with no real fixed address.  So you have this political war going on with the Feds, and the Feds' response is to put up all these roadblocks and do their stupid thing about "Are you a US Citizen?"   

Now when the locals flatly refuse to answer, the Feds "detain" you and you can sit on the side of the road.  Then a state trooper is called in, the crusty Vermonters tells the trooper that he loathes the Feds, the trooper reports to the Feds that the guy they have detained is a crusty old guy from down the road, and then the old guy is released.  So you have this ridiculous song and dance that the Feds provoke.  It is all totally, utterly ridiculous. 

When the Feds started leaning on the Mexicans who do the crop collection down in Alabama, the entire State potato crop ended up rotting and had to be plowed under.  That cost the locals millions upon millions.  See, the economies of these farm operations, and for that matter meatpacking plants and poultry operations, are so closely intertwined with Mexican hand labor that if that labor source stops, those operations all will fold.  And that has grave consequences for the locals.  IN Vermont, everybody, even the hard-core right wingers, recognizes that without Mexican field hands the agriculture sector totally collapses.  And that is why the Feds are loathed. The Feds will ruin everything they touch.  Nature of the Federal Government, and its famous "Homeland Security" goons.

[Harsh vardhan singh + 36]

I’m somebody that would like not to have war,” U.S. President Donald Trump told media following a tweet in which he said the U.S. was “locked and loaded” to respond to a drone attack on Saudi oil infrastructure that sent markets into a frenzy."

 

well...ummm...ok..!!

 

[eivindrj + 1]

On 9/16/2019 at 2:09 AM, Tom Kirkman said:

 

 

Related comment from @Gerry Maddoux, copied in full from a different thread, from before the attack on Aramco:

https://community.oilprice.com/topic/7541-oil-production-growth-in-us-grinds-to-a-halt/page/5/?tab=comments#comment-66317

I'm a bit late to the party but would be remiss (to myself) in not registering my profound belief. The EIA is like a verse from Shakespeare: A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. 

When you look at their estimates of stored supply, there is a ten-million-barrel drawdown one week, a 350,000 buildup the next. Only when you go to find out why, and actually look at the manufacturing index, the home-builder's index, the refinery feedstock load that week--any index of what actually uses less or more of petroleum--there has been no demonstrable change. And yet the EIA moves markets. 

As a man who makes his living off oil and gas, I must reluctantly admit to some bitter truths: 1) The world is over-supplied with crude oil right now, if you measure it only on an as-needed basis. 2) To have a wee bit laid aside for a major disruption, the supply-demand ratio is just about right. 3) The current price is artificially low for Saudi Arabia and Oman and Nigeria and Iraq to balance their budgets, and also too low to keep most shale drillers from going broke. 4) Ergo, we're going to wallow out about $137 B worth of junk bonds floated to cowboys with more hat than cattle, see the super-majors gobble up most of those big-hat shale companies, and watch the Saudi scorpion sting a host of too-rich guys in the Saudi Aramco IPO. 5) About year 2022, we're going to probably be wondering about two unusual monetary events: negative interest rates and why in the holy hell we sold our Tier One tight oil more cheaply than Starbucks coffee. 

 

And a follow-up response to Gerry's comment by @Toranaga after the attack on Aramco:

@Gerry Maddoux  All good points. The attack on the Saudi oil facilities this weekend is a big escalation. Clearly an operation run by Iran.  Iran knew on Tuesday that Bolton was fired, and Trump offered to talk to them later in the week. Trump comes out looking like a dove. Now Iran has done this and it plays right into the hands of the hard-liners in the Trump admin and it might even shift the Europeans more to the American point-of-view. The attack also benefits the United States because the U.S. is the largest oil power now. High prices are great for us and help alleviate the $400 billion shale debt bubble. Very stupid move by Iran.  

 

 

So @Gerry Maddoux belive oil prices will be higher in 2022? 

[Auson + 123]

2 hours ago, eivindrj said:

So @Gerry Maddoux belive oil prices will be higher in 2022? 

evindrj,

Isn't the whole thing just driven by speculative bets long or short, not so much by actual demand and supply ? ( more fear and greed ) with a bit of manipulation and spoofing thrown in for good measure.

Isn't the abundance of crude you talk about largely high API ( in some cases condensate ) ?

[Guest]

On 9/17/2019 at 4:26 PM, Harsh vardhan singh said:

I’m somebody that would like not to have war,” U.S. President Donald Trump told media following a tweet in which he said the U.S. was “locked and loaded” to respond to a drone attack on Saudi oil infrastructure that sent markets into a frenzy."

I hear that as ''I don't want a war, but if YOU want one let's go''   

Also all armies are, by definition.

Edited September 18, 2019 by Guest

[Marcin + 519]

Guys, @Douglas Buckland already said in this or other thread, that we will never know the truth behind the attacks.

Cui bono ? I always ask in such situations.

20 minutes ago Israeli snap Knesset elections ended.

The elections is a Lifeline for Benjamin Netanyahu, politically but also personally because he will probably spend majority

of his old years in jail if prosecuted in corruption case. Case that is frozen till he is PM.

Blue and White coalition could win today and Netanyahu could loose.

It will be disaster for MbS of Saudi Arabia, because Blue&White wants peace in Israel and in Middle East.

MbS and Netanyahu are 2 closest allies in Middle East, odd couple but a marriage of convenience.

Attack on Iran during elections would boosts Netanyahu chances.

 

But the timing was perfect to give probable denial to any party.

[footeab@yahoo.com + 2,187]

4 hours ago, Otis11 said:

Turns out if you say 'I realize you're just following orders, but denying my free and unobstructed passage on a federal highway is an unconstitutional violation of my rights. I'd like to spe...'

They tell you to move along before you can even finish your rant... (Or at least it's worked for me in Texas, NM, and AZ...)

Only had it 'fail' once - the guy turned around and said 'uh' and his manager/commander/whatever was right behind him. That guy then told me to 'stop'. 'So am I being unlawfully detained?' 'Hell no, just stop talking and get out of here'

Might give it a try...

(And i'd expect this to be a much bigger issue on the southern border...Not sure why they're doing it in Vermont...)

The reason is that no one is having babies in New England/Vermont/New Hampshire...  Damned hard to run a farm without warm bodies.  Of course their tax rate is the same even though supposedly most of the taxes goes to "schools"...

[Toranaga + 49]

8 hours ago, Jan van Eck said:

They do it because they can.   Also, remember that this Northern Border is totally sleepy, nothing much happens here, except for the occasional marijuana smuggler, that sort of thing.  The Border Patrol has nothing to do so they go invent work for themselves.

 

 

Except for the guy on the way to blow up LAX who got caught crossing the Northern Border. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_millennium_attack_plots#LAX_bombing_plot

[Jan van Eck + 7,558]

5 hours ago, Toranaga said:

Except for the guy on the way to blow up LAX who got caught crossing the Northern Border. 

This loonie, an Algerian, was picked up at the actual crossing point, the Federal Inspection Station.  The Border Patrol does not work there; the BP assignment is to go stumbling around in the woods, and they have allocated to themselves the idea of these internal checkpoints.  SO no, there is no credit accruing to the BP on that.   Further, the idea that some French-speaking Algerian is not going to attract attention between Port Washington on the Border and Los Angeles some 1200 miles to the South, is not realistic.  A wild-guy like that would get picked up somewhere along that route.  Whether at a hotel, or at a gas station, or by the highway patrol, he does not make it across the USA.  That doesn't work. 

[specinho + 459]

On 9/14/2019 at 9:40 PM, wrs said:

If this thing is knocked offline I would say it's not a false flag and it could easily produce a $10 spike in oi.  BIG IF though.

 

On 9/15/2019 at 6:39 AM, zbest1966 said:

How much will oil spike Monday? 

 

On 9/15/2019 at 7:59 AM, Tom Kirkman said:

The always - cynical but sarcastically witty Tylers weigh in over on ZeroHedge, with another installment of doom porn:

Oil To Hit $100? Pompeo Blames Iran For "Unprecedented" Drone Attack That Crippled Largest Saudi Oil Processing Facility

... According to Reuters reports the drone attacks will impact up to 5 million bpd of oil production, which suggests that the price of oil - already severely depressed by the recent news that John Bolton is out, making de-escalation with Iran far more likely - is set to soar when trading reopens late on Sunday, just what the upcoming Aramco IPO desperately needs, which in turn has prompted some to wonder if the "Yemen" attack on Saudi Arabia wasn't in fact orchestrated by Saudi interests. 18 years after Sept 11, this shouldn't sound all that outlandish...   

 

Once upon a time............ there was a Bullshitter................... it said..................When the oil hit very low below 40.......... many might have stored plenty of oil.......... if those stocks do not go out in time they might be chemically volatile?? For example go bust on their own or may be lose volume by nature (evaporated).......... I'm not sure....... If this is true ........ oil price might not shift much because the supply of old stocks bought in when the price was really low is still abundant... ?? 

Share price of Aramco might be affected and less might be raised with the IPO now........... Why bother with IPO if all they need is managing the account wisely??

p/s: regarding the wall; the material of the wall and the height of the wall that proposed to be built to tentatively block out the possible second and subsequent drone attacks............... shall there be an easier way......... would it be radiowave bust?? Or ultrasonic wave blast or interference to the incoming drone?? (Quote sample from book: The Hunger Games........... the invinsible fence on roof top) 

 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, specinho said:

Once upon a time............ there was a Bullshitter.

The purple is much nicer buddy

[tetonper + 17]

Apologies if this question has been asked I have not read all of these over the last few days.  As there are some true oil and gas people on here I want some opinions as I know that is all it can be.  Does anyone truly feel the significant damage done in the pictures, can they get facilities, inventory and offshore production on fast enough to not impact oil movement in the gulf?  Over my years of primarily plant work the damage and bringing production back on that has been offline for long periods of time is never a flip of the switch.  My feelings have been, the royalty in Saudi Arabia is no different then executive management.  Soothe the customers till you really have to give them the ugly news.  By then we may be close enough to a solution we won't lose them.  The Saudis have been concerned about their customer base ever since they have had to curtail production to hold up prices and at the same time compete with America being able to now export crude that was desirable.  They have a huge balancing act and this really puts a kink in their cash flow!

 

[Guest]

@John Foote  ,  @Ward Smith  ,  @ceo_energemsier    you're up

[Ward Smith + 6,615]

1 hour ago, tetonper said:

Apologies if this question has been asked I have not read all of these over the last few days.  As there are some true oil and gas people on here I want some opinions as I know that is all it can be.  Does anyone truly feel the significant damage done in the pictures, can they get facilities, inventory and offshore production on fast enough to not impact oil movement in the gulf?  Over my years of primarily plant work the damage and bringing production back on that has been offline for long periods of time is never a flip of the switch.  My feelings have been, the royalty in Saudi Arabia is no different then executive management.  Soothe the customers till you really have to give them the ugly news.  By then we may be close enough to a solution we won't lose them.  The Saudis have been concerned about their customer base ever since they have had to curtail production to hold up prices and at the same time compete with America being able to now export crude that was desirable.  They have a huge balancing act and this really puts a kink in their cash flow!

What pictures? The kingdom has clamped down pretty hard on news leaving from the ground and satellite pictures are iffy. 

Please look at this link from anothere thread

Pictures of damage and map image for reference

That fire is clearly well outside the plant. 

 

Edited September 18, 2019 by Ward Smith

[MOHSEN HAERIFARD + 3]

For years, during the destructive imposed WAR on Iran by Saddam, all facilites of refinary and exportng oil and gas of Iran was collapsed for years. And after finishing WAR, it took many years that Iran could rebuild the oil facilites in the South of the country. And during all these years it was Saudi Arabia  which was benefiting from this long stop for exportng oil from Iranian oil facilites.

No surprise that now Iran, in its own turn, is benefiting from attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Pointing fingers towards Iran as a hidden operator for these recent attacks has its own benefit for those who are pointing fingers towards Iran. They do that because they know that having something to say about Iran is generally useful for them. And persuading Saudi Arabia to be afraid of Iran is a good reasob for them to be ready for buging war tools from Western countries. 

And on the other hand, it has been clearly shown to all the world that Iran is a big problem for Imperialist governments in the region. 

This country has been keeping its way towards stability after 40 years standing against all types of sanctions imposed by superpowers. This resistance is unacceptable for the enemies of Iran. 

[Tom Kirkman + 8,860]

Moderator note

With the attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities, this forum seems to be getting some new members registering from the Middle East region.

For Westerners here, please note these newcomers will likely have significantly different viewpoints about this Aramco mess than Western general opinions.

Let them speak in peace.

Free speech and dissent and skepticism are allowed and encouraged on this international forum.

Argue ideas vigorously all you wish, but any personal attacks or generalized slurs against any groups of people will be summarily deleted by moderators.

Gentle reminder:

*** Important !   I do *not* expect others to agree with my opinions.  I tend to have rather unusual opinions about international Oil & Gas.  I *do* hope that readers will fearlessly voice their own views about international oil & gas.

As a former moderator on the Oilpro forum, (and now a moderator here on the Oil Price Community forum) I *encourage* dissent, and *encourage* Freedom of Speech, and *encourage* others to freely voice their views and convictions about oil & gas. 

A diversity of global views is what makes the world a special place.  Conformity is just a slow, painful death of not speaking your mind.  So SPEAK UP.  Please don't be a jerk about about it, though.  If you want others to consider your views, please be willing to consider the views of others.

 

We now return to our regularly scheduled meme rivalry.  Oops, I mean discussions and friendly banter.

[ceo_energemsier + 1,818]

Saudi officials see early supply recovery

Saudi Arabia’s oil production will recover faster than initially feared from damage inflicted by unmanned aircraft Sept. 14 to the Abqaiq crude oil processing complex and Khurais oil field, Saudi officials say.

 

Sep 18th, 2019

Saudi Arabia’s oil production will recover faster than initially feared from damage inflicted by unmanned aircraft Sept. 14 to the Abqaiq crude oil processing complex and Khurais oil field, Saudi officials say.

The price of Brent crude jumped 30% to nearly $78/bbl on news of the attacks as traders worried about a supply disruption lasting months

Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, minister of energy, addressed those fears at a late-night news conference in Jeddah Sept. 16.

He said more than half the 5.7-million b/d of production affected by the disruption had restarted.

Saudi production capacity, he added, will be partly restored to 11 million b/d by the end of September and fully restored to 12 million b/d by the end of November.

After his statement, the price of Brent crude fell $4.47 to $64.55/bbl

Drawing from strategic storage, Saudi Aramco will fully meet obligations to customers this month, Abdulaziz said. Stocks will be replenished from production capacity becoming available before the end of September.

Saudi Arabia leads the effort under way since January 2017 to buoy crude prices with coordinated supply restraint. Eleven members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and 10 nonmembers have production caps.

According to the International Energy Agency, the kingdom’s production in August averaged 9.75 million b/d, below its agreed ceiling of 10.3 million b/d. IEA estimated Saudi production capacity in August at 12.02 million b/d.

Affected production

Of the production disrupted by the aerial assault, 4.5 million b/d was processed at Abqaiq, according to Abdulaziz.

Also affected were 2 bcfd of associated gas, 1.3 bcfd of dry gas, 500 MMcfd of ethane, and about 500,000 b/d of gas liquids.

Abdulaziz said production of dry gas, ethane, and gas liquids will return to their prior levels by the end of this month.

The disruptions did not affect Saudi electricity generation, water desalination, or oil product supplies. Ethane for petrochemical manufacture had begun gradually to recover, Abdulaziz said.

At the press conference, Aramco Pres. and Chief Executive Officer Amin Nasser said production had fully resumed at Khurais field, which has capacity estimated at 1.5 million b/d. He said Abqaiq was processing 2 million b/d of crude.

The facility stabilizes and treats Arab Light and Arab Extra Light crude from giant fields in northeastern Saudi Arabia.

Also at the press conference, Aramco Chairman Yasser bin Othman Al-Rumayyan said the attacks will not delay the initial public offering of shares representing 5% of the company that has been discussed for months. The IPO will be ready in the next 12 months, he said.

 

Caution urged

Outside Saudi Arabia, analysts urged caution toward the official optimism.

Bjornar Tonhaugen, chief oil market analyst at Rystad Energy, on Sept. 18 warned of “a clear risk of a slower restart of Saudi Arabian oil production.”

Rystad Energy estimates as much as 1.6 million b/d of Arab Light and 350,000 b/d of Arab Extra Light will remain shut in on average during September and October. It expects full restoration of processing capacity toward the end of the year.

“Repairs to the damaged spheroids and stabilization towers involve, to our understanding, access to expertise and spare parts which would take time to procure,” Tonhaugen explained. “Unless repairs happen much quicker than we expect, we estimate that the Abqaiq processing facility will only reach 90% capacity by mid-November. The outage would then be reduced to 500,000 b/d for the month of November at 5.2 million b/d production. For now, we expect production to remain slightly below full capacity for December.”

IEA ‘ready’

The IEA, which manages a program of oil inventories held by members for supply emergencies, said in a Sept. 18 statement it was “ready to take rapid action in the event of any sustained shortfalls.”

It said IEA member countries hold 1.55 billion bbl of oil in emergency stocks in government-controlled agencies, representing 15 days of consumption coverage.

“These can be drawn upon in an emergency collective action and would be more than enough to offset any significant disruption in supplies for an extended period of time,” IEA said.

IEA members also held 2.9 billion bbl of industry stocks in July, providing more than a month of demand coverage.

“These stocks include about 650 million bbl of obligated emergency stocks, which can be made immediately available to the market when governments lower their holding requirements,” IEA said.

Fatih Birol, IEA executive director, said the attacks in Saudi Arabia provide “a reminder that oil security cannot be taken for granted, even at times when markets are well supplied, and that energy security remains an indispensable pillar of the global economy.”

 The attacks

The strikes are believed to have involved cruise missiles and possibly drones targeting stabilization towers and spherical tanks. According to early reports, Abqaiq sustained 17 hits and Khurais as few as two.

Claims of responsibility by Houthi rebels in Yemen have been discounted by Saudi and US officials, who believe the Houthis could not have conducted the sophisticated operation. They openly suspect Iran, the government of which denies involvement.

Saudi Arabia leads a coalition conducting air strikes against the Houthis, who receive support from Tehran in their civil war against the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

Frequently since early 2015, Houthis have fired mortar rounds, rockets, and missiles at targets in southern Saudi Arabia and at the airport in Riyadh. They also have attacked Saudi ships in the Red Sea.

 

In addition to the Abqaiq and Khurais attacks, Iran is accused of sabotage and direct attacks earlier this year on Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline, on ships off Fujairah and in the Strait of Hormuz, and against a US drone.

 

[ceo_energemsier + 1,818]

22 minutes ago, Tom Kirkman said:

Moderator note

With the attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities, this forum seems to be getting some new members registering from the Middle East region.

For Westerners here, please note these newcomers will likely have significantly different viewpoints about this Aramco mess than Western general opinions.

Let them speak in peace.

Free speech and dissent and skepticism are allowed and encouraged on this international forum.

Argue ideas vigorously all you wish, but any personal attacks or generalized slurs against any groups of people will be summarily deleted by moderators.

Gentle reminder:

*** Important !   I do *not* expect others to agree with my opinions.  I tend to have rather unusual opinions about international Oil & Gas.  I *do* hope that readers will fearlessly voice their own views about international oil & gas.

As a former moderator on the Oilpro forum, (and now a moderator here on the Oil Price Community forum) I *encourage* dissent, and *encourage* Freedom of Speech, and *encourage* others to freely voice their views and convictions about oil & gas. 

A diversity of global views is what makes the world a special place.  Conformity is just a slow, painful death of not speaking your mind.  So SPEAK UP.  Please don't be a jerk about about it, though.  If you want others to consider your views, please be willing to consider the views of others.

 

We now return to our regularly scheduled meme rivalry.  Oops, I mean discussions and friendly banter.

 

 

As an individual who has spent a significant part of his life in the region on the ground and or direct or indirect engagement with the people, businesses, gov and officials, I am very receptive to the different opinions and ideas , as well as I do not easily say words that are derogatory to any group of people from any region. Just the other day I saw a post I I felt was offensive by someone under a topic related to the same region. My interaction in the region dates back to the 40s and 50s and much more direct later and at different levels of participation.

I made a comment to that effect asking if Oil Price will step up and do something.

 

[Tom Kirkman + 8,860]

52 minutes ago, ceo_energemsier said:

 

 

As an individual who has spent a significant part of his life in the region on the ground and or direct or indirect engagement with the people, businesses, gov and officials, I am very receptive to the different opinions and ideas , as well as I do not easily say words that are derogatory to any group of people from any region. Just the other day I saw a post I I felt was offensive by someone under a topic related to the same region. My interaction in the region dates back to the 40s and 50s and much more direct later and at different levels of participation.

I made a comment to that effect asking if Oil Price will step up and do something.

Moderators generally don't read every comment on every thread.  My time zone is GMT +8 so I tend to miss most of the comments from North America and South America until the following morning.

Please feel free to message me or another moderator if you feel action needs to be taken on a specific comment.  Please provide a link to the comment in question.

 

 

/ edit, situation resolved, quietly.  Offending slur in member comment deleted by moderator, and member gently warned.

 

[ceo_energemsier + 1,818]

(Bloomberg) -- Saudi Arabia said attacks on its critical oil infrastructure were “unquestionably sponsored by Iran” but stopped short of saying the strikes were launched directly from or by the Islamic Republic, claims that could have propelled a drift toward war.

With parts of drones and missiles recovered from the attack sites at Abqaiq and Khurais on display, Saudi Defense Ministry spokesman Turki al-Maliki on Wednesday showed maps aimed at proving the strikes originated from the north and could not have been launched by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who shortly after repeated their claims of responsibility.

“Despite Iran’s effort to make it appear so,” the attack didn’t originate from Yemen, Maliki said. “Data analysis of the attack sites indicate weapons of Iranian origin.”

Iran has denied it was involved in the worst attack in Saudi Arabia’s history and President Hassan Rouhani said earlier Wednesday that his country did not want war.

The Saudi defense official’s comments, and moves by the U.S., suggested the two allies were also working to deescalate tensions in the region. President Donald Trump, who had initially declared the U.S. “locked and loaded” for a response, said Wednesday he was tightening sanctions on Iran.

Iran’s economy is already under severe pressure from existing sanctions, though analysts said there were still a number of potential targets for restrictions. Iran is gradually scaling back its commitments under the deal and has said it will not reopen talks without sanctions relief.

Speaking just before landing in Saudi Arabia, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo -- while broadly echoing Maliki’s claims on Iranian involvement -- signaled he was working to build international diplomatic pressure to deter Iran.

Twenty-five pilotless aircraft and cruise missiles were used to attack the two sites, Maliki told reporters gathered in Riyadh. The weapons were of Iranian origin but Saudi Arabia was still working to pinpoint the exact launch point, he said. The range and accuracy of the weapons were beyond the capabilities of the Houthis, he added.

In comments made immediately after the Saudi briefing, Yemen’s Houthi military spokesman Yehya Saree said some of the drones used were new, with a range of up to 1,700 kilometers, and were launched from three different points inside Yemen. He said the drones fired long-range missiles and warned the United Arab Emirates that it could be also be targeted. The U.A.E. said weeks ago that it was drawing down its role in the Yemen war after four years.

Maliki displayed surveillance video purporting to show drones moving in a north to south direction, however. He said Saudi Arabia was working to share the information with United Nations experts.

“We are working as I mentioned to determine the exact position of the launch point,” Maliki said. “Whether it’s been launched from Yemen, launched from somewhere else, those people they will be held accountable, and this is a decision at a political level in our country.”

Addressing a cabinet meeting, Rouhani said the assault on the oil facilities was carried out by the Houthis retaliating against Saudi Arabia’s military campaign in their country and should serve as a “warning and lesson,” according to state TV.

Iran backs the Houthis, one of several militias it supports around the region, from Lebanon to Iraq. The confrontation has sporadically convulsed the Gulf, with the strikes on oil tankers, an American drone and a key pipeline, pushing the region to the brink of open conflict.

The U.S. and its Gulf allies “assumed the Iranians would take the maximum pressure without any significant reaction,” said David Roberts, an assistant professor at King’s College London who studies the Gulf. “They’ve all been completely blindsided by the potent nature of the Iranian response.”

[Tom Kirkman + 8,860]

6 minutes ago, ceo_energemsier said:

(Bloomberg) -- Saudi Arabia said attacks on its critical oil infrastructure were “unquestionably sponsored by Iran” but stopped short of saying the strikes were launched directly from or by the Islamic Republic, claims that could have propelled a drift toward war.

 

[ceo_energemsier + 1,818]

1 minute ago, Tom Kirkman said:

 

 

 

 

Very contradictory from what I have been hearing from boots on the ground!!!!

[ceo_energemsier + 1,818]

Just now, ceo_energemsier said:

 

 

 

Very contradictory from what I have been hearing from boots on the ground!!!!

I would say that it would take them 60 days to swing back to "normal" from the extent of the damage/disruption