After two attacks hit oil facilities in eastern Saudi Arabia on Saturday, leaders are waking up to the growing threat looming over the world's oil supply. The attacks struck the world's largest oil processing plant in Abqaiq, as well as the Khurais oilfield, temporarily cutting off five per cent of the globe's oil supply and dealing a blow to half of Saudi Arabia's production. Nonetheless, Saudi Arabia's response to the crisis has been swift, with Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman stating that the country's oil output should go "back to normal" by the end of the month.
The attacks have left many questions unanswered. Although the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have claimed the offensive, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has blamed Iran for the strikes, and American officials believe the attacks must have been carried out from Iraq or Iran - claims that both countries have denied. Meanwhile the Arab Coalition, a Saudi-led group of nations fighting alongside Yemen’s internationally recognised government, has found that Iranian weaponry was used in the attacks, and that the strike did not come from Yemen.
Whether the attack came from Iran, Iraq, Yemen or elsewhere, these findings all point to Iranian involvement. This is certainly unsurprising to regular readers of these pages. The Abqaiq and Khurais attacks have occurred after a series of Houthi assaults on commercial targets in Saudi Arabia. Houthi drones hit Saudi oil pipelines at the UAE border in Shaybah last month and, in May, they disrupted operations in eastern oilfields for three days and attacked pumping stations west of the capital Riyadh.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani claimed on Wednesday that the latest attacks were carried out by the Houthis to serve as a "warning" against Riyadh's intervention in Yemen. But even if the Houthis are proven to be behind the Saudi attacks, an assault on the kingdom is unlikely to act as a deterrent for war, as Mr Rouhani claims. In fact, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths told the UN Security Council the exact opposite. He stated that "at a minimum, this kind of action carries the risk of dragging Yemen into a regional conflagration", and he insisted that "none of that is good for Yemen".
Iran's true motives are to take the global oil supply hostage and deal a blow to the world's economy in an attempt to push back on US sanctions
In reality, these attacks have achieved only one thing: they have struck at the heart of the world's largest oil exporter and disrupted oil prices and supply, exposing Iran's true motives: to take the global oil supply hostage and deal a blow to the world's economy in an attempt to push back on US sanctions.
In response, American President Donald Trump has expressed his support to Saudi Arabia and even said on Twitter that the US was "locked and loaded". Mr Pompeo embarked on a visit to Jeddah and Abu Dhabi yesterday to discuss the next steps as Saudi Arabia laid out evidence of Iran's involvement in the attacks on the same day. Amid increased US-Iranian tensions, Saudi Arabia has acted with level-headedness and avoided blaming one actor for the attacks before the investigation is complete.
Meanwhile, the country has joined the International Maritime Security Construct, which aims to protect shipping in the region, after oil tankers were intercepted by Tehran in the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE has also displayed a willingness to engage in diplomatic efforts by sending its largest delegation to this week's United Nations General Assembly, in a bid to promote de-escalation.
In the meantime, and until the perpetrators of the attacks are found and held accountable, world leaders must stand united behind Saudi Arabia to help safeguard the world’s oil supply and avoid an all-out conflict.
MATCH INFO
Iceland 0 England 1 (Sterling pen 90 1)
Man of the match Kari Arnason (Iceland)
The%20Genius%20of%20Their%20Age
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20S%20Frederick%20Starr%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Oxford%20University%20Press%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20290%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20January%2024%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
RESULTS
1.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winners: Hyde Park, Royston Ffrench (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
2.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Shamikh, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
2.45pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Hurry Up, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.15pm: Shadwell Jebel Ali Mile Group 3 (TB) Dh575,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Blown by Wind, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
3.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh72,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Mazagran, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
4.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh64,000 (D) 1,950m
Winner: Obeyaan, Adrie de Vries, Mujeeb Rehman
4.45pm: Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Shanaghai City, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
Profile
Company: Libra Project
Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware
Launch year: 2017
Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time
Sector: Renewable energy
Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Profile of Udrive
Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
Employees: 40
Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENadeera%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERabih%20El%20Chaar%20and%20Reem%20Khattar%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECleanTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20About%20%241%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHope%20Ventures%2C%20Rasameel%20Investments%20and%20support%20from%20accelerator%20programmes%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2012%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
MATCH INFO
Karnatake Tuskers 114-1 (10 ovs)
Charles 57, Amla 47
Bangla Tigers 117-5 (8.5 ovs)
Fletcher 40, Moores 28 no, Lamichhane 2-9
Bangla Tiger win by five wickets
Pots for the Asian Qualifiers
Pot 1: Iran, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China
Pot 2: Iraq, Uzbekistan, Syria, Oman, Lebanon, Kyrgyz Republic, Vietnam, Jordan
Pot 3: Palestine, India, Bahrain, Thailand, Tajikistan, North Korea, Chinese Taipei, Philippines
Pot 4: Turkmenistan, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Yemen, Afghanistan, Maldives, Kuwait, Malaysia
Pot 5: Indonesia, Singapore, Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Guam, Macau/Sri Lanka
Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
HWJN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Yasir%20Alyasiri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Baraa%20Alem%2C%20Nour%20Alkhadra%2C%20Alanoud%20Saud%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
