沙特阿拉伯誓言将采取新措施应对最近针对其石油设施的袭击，而伊朗警告称，针对伊斯兰共和国的任何袭击都将遭到地区报复。
据沙特官方通讯社报道，沙特国王萨尔曼在与中国习近平主席的一次通话中称，最近对阿布哈兹石油加工设施和附近Khurais油田的袭击是一次严重升级，是对地区安全与稳定以及世界市场石油供应的重大威胁。他还承诺，在查明罪犯的调查完成后，将代表沙特阿拉伯采取适当行动。
安萨尔·阿拉声称发动了袭击，安萨尔·阿拉也被称为胡塞。他们是什叶派伊斯兰教扎伊迪分支的成员，正在邻国也门与沙特领导的联盟作战。该组织发起了一系列跨境行动，但沙特阿拉伯和美国都越来越多地表示，伊朗是最近袭击的幕后黑手。
德黑兰一再否认在袭击中扮演任何角色，阿亚图拉·阿里·哈梅内伊的军事顾问叶海亚·拉希姆·萨法维星期五发出了新的警告。
据半官方的塔斯尼姆通讯社报道，他在一次崇拜者集会上说，“伊朗已经成为西亚不可战胜的地区力量”。“如果美国人想到任何阴谋，我们将从地中海到红海再到印度洋做出反应。”
除了胡塞与德黑兰的紧密政治结盟之外，伊朗还与中东地区的各种强大团体保持着紧密联系，包括黎巴嫩、伊拉克、叙利亚和巴勒斯坦控制的加沙地带——所有据称的目标伊朗的另一个主要地区敌人以色列展开了一场大规模的战役。
德黑兰与这些势力的关系是唐纳德·特朗普总统决定退出2015年与伊朗核协议的原因之一，尽管该协议仍得到中国、法国、德国、俄罗斯、英国以及欧盟的支持。
美国单方面退出和对伊斯兰共和国的严厉制裁导致波斯湾地区更加不稳定，特别是最近几个月，伊朗在霍尔木兹海峡打击了交通，世界上最重要的石油瓶颈无人认领的袭击目标是阿曼湾的船只。美国和沙特阿拉伯将这些行为归咎于伊朗，伊朗否认了这些指控。
至于周六的袭击，沙特国防部辩称，有证据表明，无人机和巡航导弹的南北方向据说已经被使用，而且它们展示的“先进能力”表明，发动袭击的不是胡塞人，尽管沙特仍在“努力确切了解发射点”美国似乎分裂了五角大楼正在等待沙特的调查结果，而国务院则断然要求伊朗对此负责。
国务卿迈克·庞贝从一开始就指责伊朗，称这些袭击是“战争行为”伊朗外交部长穆罕默德贾瓦德扎里夫警告说，即使是有限的罢工也会导致“全面战争”，因为据报道唐纳德特朗普总统审查了他的国家安全小组向他提出的选择。
总统选择进一步加倍对伊朗的制裁，以该国央行为目标。特朗普在谈到军事行动正在进行的担忧时告诉记者，“这是我能做的最简单的事情”，但他辩称，“以我们现在的方式来做这件事显示了更大的力量。”他补充道，“克制是件好事。”
尽管特朗普也没有直接点名伊朗是周六袭击沙特阿拉伯的罪魁祸首，但财政部关于新制裁的新闻稿显示，部长史蒂夫·穆努钦同意庞贝的观点。报道援引姆努钦的话说，“伊朗悍然袭击沙特阿拉伯是不可接受的。”
国务院在另一份声明中表示:“伊朗伊斯兰共和国试图破坏全球经济，但失败了，它袭击了沙特阿拉伯王国。”。“这一侵略行为计划周密，执行厚颜无耻。不管转移责任的透明尝试如何，证据指向伊朗——而且只有伊朗。”
伊朗最强大的海外盟友之一真主党秘书长哈桑·纳斯鲁拉(Hassan Nasrallah)呼吁沙特阿拉伯、阿联酋和美国结束也门战争，并特别警告利雅得，如果德黑兰试图挑起战争，它将“摧毁”它。这位黎巴嫩什叶派穆斯林教士补充道，“你的房子是玻璃做的，你的经济是玻璃做的。”
其他国际玩家有采取了更加谨慎的方法扰乱全球能源市场的动荡。据报道，正如Xi在对萨尔曼国王的呼吁中传达的那样，中国谴责了这些袭击，但与俄罗斯一道呼吁在不预先判断的情况下进行彻底调查。
SAUDI ARABIA VOWS TO TAKE ACTION AFTER ATTACKS, AS IRAN WARNS OF RETALIATION ACROSS MIDDLE EAST TO ANY STRIKES
Saudi Arabia has vowed to take new measures in response to recent attacks against its oil facilities, while Iran warned any strikes against the Islamic Republic will be met with a regional retaliation.
During a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Saudi King Salman referred to recent attacks on the Abqaiq oil-processing facility and the nearby Khurais oil field as a serious escalation and a major threat to regional security and stability, as well as oil supplies in the world market, according to the official Saudi Press Agency. He also promised to take appropriate action on behalf of Saudi Arabia when the investigation to identify the culprit is complete.
The strikes were claimed by Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis. They are members of the Zaidi branch of Shiite Islam and are battling a Saudi-led coalition in neighboring Yemen. The group has launched a number of cross-border operations, but both Saudi Arabia and the United States have increasingly indicated that Iran was behind the recent strikes.
With Tehran repeatedly denying any role in the attacks, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's military adviser Yahya Rahim Safavi issued a new warning Friday.
"The Iranian nation has become an invincible regional power in West Asia," he told a gathering of worshipers, according to the semi-official Tasnim News Agency. "If the Americans think of any conspiracy, we will respond from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean."
In addition to the Houthis' close political alignment with Tehran, Iran has maintained strong ties to various powerful groups across the Middle East, including in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and the Palestinian-administered Gaza Strip—all allegedly targets of an expansive campaign by Iran's other major regional foe, Israel.
Tehran's ties with such forces were among the reasons cited by President Donald Trump in his decision to leave a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, despite the agreement still being supported by China, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union.
The unilateral U.S. exit and heavy sanctions on the Islamic Republic have led to increased instability in the Persian Gulf region, especially in recent months, where Iran has cracked down on traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil choke point, and unclaimed attacks have targeted ships in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have blamed those acts on Iran, which has dismissed the accusations.
As for Saturday's strikes, the Saudi Defense Ministry has argued that evidence suggesting a north-south direction of the drones and cruise missiles said to have been employed and the "advanced capability" they demonstrated suggested it was not the Houthis that launched the attack, though the kingdom was still "working to know exactly the launch point." The U.S. appeared split, with the Pentagon awaiting the results of the Saudi investigation and the State Department outright holding Iran responsible.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has from the beginning blamed Iran and called the attacks "an act of war." Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif then warned that even a limited strike would lead to an "all-out war," as President Donald Trump reportedly reviewed the options presented to him by his national security team.
The president opted to further double down on sanctions against Iran, targeting the country's central bank. Addressing concerns that military action was in the works, Trump told reporters that "is the easiest thing I could do," but argued that "it shows far more strength to do it the way we're doing it." He added, "Restraint is a good thing."