The leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Germany are joining the United States in blaming Iran’s regime for the recent attack on Saudi Arabian oil fields and calling on the regime to halt its threatening behavior.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the attacks on oil facilities on Saudi territory on September 14th, 2019 in Abqaiq and Khurais,” the leaders said in a September 23 joint statement released by U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson. “It is clear to us that Iran bears responsibility for this attack.”
Time for a long-term framework
The European leaders also fault the Iranian regime’s violation of past nuclear pledges and call for talks that address the regime’s malign behavior.
“We reiterate our conviction that the time has come for Iran to accept negotiation on a long-term framework for its nuclear programme as well as on issues related to regional security, including its missiles programme and other means of delivery,” the leaders said.
On September 20, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called out Iran for the September 14 missile strike, which the regime has denied. The attack on Saudi oil fields is the latest in Iranian leaders’ campaign to extort concessions through violence.
In July alone, Iran’s regime breached limits on stockpiling and enriching nuclear fuel, menaced and seized tankers navigating the Strait of Hormuz, and test-fired a ballistic missile, defying a U.N. Security Council resolution.
Speaking to the U.N. General Assembly September 24, President Trump vowed to continue the United States’ campaign of economic sanctions until Iran’s regime scraps its pursuit of nuclear weapons, ends its ballistic missile program, and stops threatening its neighbors.
“All nations have a duty to act,” Trump said, urging others to join the effort. “No responsible government should subsidize Iran’s bloodlust. As long as Iran’s menacing behavior continues, sanctions will not be lifted; they will be tightened.”
