U.S.: Saudi Pipeline Attacks Originated From Iraq by Isabel Coles and Dion Nissenbaum – Wall Street Journal
U.S. officials have concluded that drone attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil industry in May were launched from Iraq, not Yemen, raising concerns that Iran’s allies in the region are trying to open a new front in the conflict between Tehran and Washington.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Iraq’s prime minister to take steps to ensure that Iraq isn’t used as a new staging ground for attacks. Iraqi leaders are questioning the U.S. assessment and have asked the Trump administration for more evidence to support its claims.
The May 14 drone attacks were originally thought to originate from Yemen, where Houthi rebels had claimed credit for causing damage to a major oil pipeline stretching hundreds of miles across Saudi Arabia. But U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence said the attacks had originated in southern Iraq, most likely implicating Iran-backed militias with a strong presence there…