Iraq denies its territory was used to launch drone attack at Saudi oil facilities

Iraq on Sunday denied media reports claiming that its territory was used to carry out attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities on Saturday morning.

A statement from the Iraqi Prime Minister's press-service said that the country does not allow the use of its territory for aggressive actions towards its neighbours. It added that the authorities have set up a committee to "monitor reports" and the latest developments pertaining to the drone attack on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities, reported Sputnik news agency.

CNN cited a Wall Street Journal report as saying that the US officials are investigating the possibility of the attacks being launched from southern Iraq and not Yemen. While Yemen's Houthis have claimed the responsibility for the attack, the US has pinned the blame on Iran. "Tehran is behind nearly 100 attacks on Saudi Arabia while Rouh and Zarif pretend to engage in diplomacy," US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo tweeted, referencing Iran's President Hassan Rouh and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

"Amid all the calls for de-escalation, Iran has now launched an unprecedented attack on the world's energy supply. There is no evidence the attacks came from Yemen," Pompeo continued, providing no evidence that Iran was behind the attacks.

The drone attacks had led to a massive fire at two major facilities run by Saudi Aramco, a state-owned oil enterprise which operates and controls the majority of the kingdom's refinery production and oilfields. It is one of the largest firms globally in terms of revenue and is believed to be the most profitable company in the world.

Saudi Arabia has been leading an Arab military coalition against Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen for more than four years in support of the exiled internationally-recognized government of Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

( With inputs from ANI )