New Delhi: Even as Saudi Arabia publicly accused Iran of ordering an attack on Saudi oil pumping stations, India on Thursday “condemned” the drone attack, accompanied with a reiteration about fighting “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations”.
On May 14, state-run Saudi Aramco shut down the east-west pipeline, after the drone attack led to a minor fire.
MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Thursday that India “strongly condemns the drone attacks on May 14, 2019, targeting oil installations in Saudi Arabia”.
“We reiterate our resolve to fight terrorism and violence in all its forms and manifestations,” he added.
India’s statement came on the same day that Saudi Arabia formally pointed finger at Iran.
Saudi deputy defence minister Khalid Bin Salman tweeted on Thursday that that attack showed that the Houthi militias “are merely a tool that Iran’s regime uses to implement its expansionist agenda in the region”. His cabinet colleague, minister of state for foreign affairs, Adel al-Jubeir stated that “Houthis are an indivisible part of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and subject to the IRGC’s orders”.
A Houthi spokesman, Mohammed Abdul Salam had earlier claimed responsibility for the drone strikes, saying that they were a response to Saudi Arabia’s “continued aggression” and “genocide” in Yemen.
The drone attack had happened just two days after four vessels were “damaged” off the coast of United Arab Emirates. The four vessels include two Saudi oil tankers, Norwegian registered tanker and a UAE-flagged bunker barge. So far, UAE has not publicly blamed any country for the March 12 incident.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia-led military coalition carried out air strikes on the Yemeni capital on Thursday. As per local media, six civilians have died in the airstrikes which targeted military installations.
Tensions in West Asia have been rising since the United States, along with Saudi Arabia and UAE have sought to ratchet up the pressure on Iran. After re-imposing sanctions, the US had declared IRGC as a terrorist organisation and indicated that there was a credible Iranian threat that warranted diverting US warships to the Gulf.
Also read: Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Says No Need For Immediate Action After Iran Oil Waivers End
Iranian foreign minister Javed Zarif had held talks with external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi on Monday as part of his diplomatic drive to talk to shareholders about the recent developments and Iran’s steps to suspend commitments under nuclear deal.
The region is of strategic concern to India, which has over 9 million strong diaspora working in six Gulf nations. Further, India’s energy security is secured largely through crude imports from west Asia, that will certainly be impacted by any outbreak of conflict and rising oil prices.
Sources said that India’s statement does not take sides between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Rather, they pointed out that Saudi Arabia has been a strong supporter of India against terrorism and security issues; Riyadh had been one of the first countries to quickly issue a statement condemning the bomb attack on Indian security personnel in Pulwama on February 14.