SAUDI ARABIA — Investigators in Saudi Arabia and the U.S. say there's a "very high probability" that the Saudi oil attack originated from Iran. <br /><br />Reuters reports that the Abqaiq oil processing plant and Khurais oil field both run by state-owned company Aramco were set ablaze following drone strikes.<br /><br />The attack, which occurred early Saturday morning, cut more than half of the country's oil output, or roughly five percent of the global oil supply.<br /><br />The New York Times reports that satellite images released by the U.S. government show at least 17 points of impact at key infrastructure at the two sites.<br /><br />Yemen's Houthi rebels had claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the BBC, saying they deployed 10 drones to strike the two oil facilities.<br /><br />But a source told CNN that U.S. and Saudi investigators have determined that the attack was launched from a base in Iran, close to its border with Iraq. A mix of drones and cruise missiles carried out the strike, flying at a low altitude over southern Iraq and through Kuwait before reaching their targets.<br /><br />According to CNN's source, the route would have allowed the missiles to avoid passing over U.S. and Saudi radar and air defense systems, which are strongest in the Persian Gulf.<br /><br />Another source said that images showing the wreckage of a failed missile in the desert appear to be of a Quds 1. While this missile is used by the Houthis, it does not have a range that would allow it to hit from Yemen, 1,300 kilometers away.<br /><br />The Quds 1, however, is based on an Iranian design, similar to the Iranian cruise missiles Soumar and Hoveyzeh, which are capable of traversing such a long range.<br /><br />Both the U.S. and Saudi have gone on record to say the projectiles didn't come from Yemeni territory. According to the New York Times, a military spokesman from the Kingdom also said the weapons were Iranian-made. <br /><br />Still, solid, irrefutable evidence that Iran was behind the attack has yet to come to light.
