Yemen's defence ministry rejects Saudi Arabia's claim that the attack came from Iraqi soil

An official at Yemen's defence ministry rejected, in the early hours of Tuesday, 28 July 2026 (6 Mordad 1405), Saudi Arabia's recent claims that the attack on its oil facilities had been launched from Iraqi soil, describing those statements as an attempt to cover up the failure of Saudi air defences. The official called on Riyadh to end the blockade rather than deflect blame.

The statement is the third account of the origin of Monday's attack. Yemen's armed forces had earlier said they targeted centres supplying and transporting crude oil from eastern Saudi Arabia to the port of Yanbu, while Saudi Arabia attributed the attack to Iran-backed groups in Iraq and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq denied it. Baghdad has also opened a security investigation.

Establishing the origin of the attack matters for the energy market because it shapes Saudi Arabia's possible response and the geographic scope of the tension. Aramco halted operations at the Abqaiq oil processing complex after the attack, though Brent showed a muted reaction, trading at $87.51 a barrel on Tuesday, 28 July, down 0.49 percent.