British Prime Minister Boris Johnson blamed Iran for the attacks on Saudi oil facilities and said the United Kingdom is considering joining a US-led military effort to bolster the kingdom’s defenses.
Speaking to reporters as he flew to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, Johnson said the “UK is attributing responsibility with a very high degree of probability to Iran” for the strikes at a Saudi refinery and oil field on Sept. 14.
“We will be working with our American friends and our European friends to construct a response that tries to de-escalate tensions in the Gulf region,” Johnson told the Associated Press late Sunday.
The US and Saudi Arabia have said Iran was responsible for the attack carried out by 18 drones and seven cruise missiles.
Tehran has denied involvement and pointed to claims of responsibility by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels fighting a Saudi-led coalition of forces in Yemen.
President Trump announced Friday that he would send additional US troops and missile defense systems to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Johnson emphasized that a diplomatic solution must be sought in the standoff, but he would consider a request for military assistance.
”We will be following that very closely,” he said. “And clearly if we are asked, either by the Saudis or by the Americans, to have a role, then we will consider in what way we could be useful. We will consider in what way we could be useful, if asked, depending on what the exact plan is.”
Following Johnson’s remarks, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi urged Britain to stop supporting the war in Yemen.
”The government of England, instead of carrying out fruitless efforts against the Islamic Republic of Iran, should take action to stop selling deadly weapons to Saudi Arabia … and release themselves from accusations of committing war crimes against the people of Yemen,” he said in a statement reported by state-run media.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who will meet with Johnson during the UN gathering, on Sunday called on Western powers to leave the Persian Gulf region and said he would form a coalition of Middle East countries to “guarantee the region’s security.”
Trump on Sunday dashed any speculation that he would sit down with Rouhani at the UN, saying he has “no intention.”
Britain is still among the countries still participating in the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that Trump withdrew the US from last year.
After pulling out of the pact, Trump reimposed sanctions as part of his “maximum pressure” campaign to force Tehran to return to the bargaining table.
On Friday, he slapped new penalties on Iran’s central bank and other state institutions.
Rouhani said the new sanctions show the “US is completely desperate.”