Even as he offers to sell Saudi Arabia the same surface-to-air missiles Iran now employs, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that the Trump administration has yet to provide proof Tehran was involved in the devastating attacks last month against a pair of Saudi oil facilities.
“U.S. intelligence services are serving the country’s foreign policy, but they have not given any evidence,” Mr. Putin told an energy conference in Moscow, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Mr. Putin said he spoke at the conference with Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud. Riyadh blames Iran for the September 14 drone attack and, according to Mr. Putin, wants “irrefutable evidence.”
“No one has given such evidence so far. Let’s be guided by facts instead of emotions,” Mr. Putin said.
Iran-allied Shi’ite Houthi forces in Yemen have claimed responsibility for the attack on Saudi Arabia, calling it retaliation for a Saudi-led offensive against them in Yemen’s civil war.
The U.S. and leading European powers say they have concluded Iran was responsible for the strikes, based on the sophistication of the drone and cruise missile attacks and evidence that the salvos were fired from the north.
According to Russian media, Mr. Putin discussed the escalating conflict during a recent trilateral summit in Ankara with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. He told reporters Saudi Arabia should follow Iran and Turkey’s example by buying Russia’s S-300 and S-400 air defense systems.
“These kinds of systems are capable of defending any kind of infrastructure in Saudi Arabia from any kind of attack,” Mr. Putin said, according to the Russian RT television network.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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