Saudi Arabia vows 'appropriate' response to oil attacks pending probe

Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Adel al-Jubeir, said on Saturday that the kingdom would "build its response" to last weekend's attacks on the country's largest oil processing facility based on the results of the investigation.

UN investigators are in Saudi to probe the attack that disrupted the world's oil markets.

"The kingdom will take the appropriate measures based on the results of the investigation, to ensure its security and stability," Jubeir told reporters.

Saudi Arabia is consulting with its allies to "take the necessary steps", Jubeir said, urging the world to take a stand.

"The kingdom calls upon the international community to assume its responsibility in condemning those that stand behind this act, and to take a firm and clear position against this reckless behaviour that threatens the global economy," he said.

The Pentagon said the US will deploy additional troops and military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to beef up security, as President Donald Trump has at least for now decided against any immediate military strike on Iran in response to the attack on the Saudi oil industry.

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Al-Jubeir also responded to Friday's announcement by Yemen's Houthi rebels that they were halting drone and missile attacks against Saudi Arabia, one week after they claimed responsibility for a strike that crippled a key oil facility in the kingdom.

"We judge other parties by their deeds and actions and not by their words so we will see if they actually do this or not. And in response to what prompted them to do this, I am not a mind reader and we have to do more intensive studies of this issue," he said.

Riyadh has rejected the claim by Houthi rebels that they carried out the strikes, with Jubeir reiterating that the "launch did not come from Yemen, it came from the north".

The weekend strikes on Abqaiq - the world's largest oil processing facility - and the Khurais oil field in eastern Saudi Arabia roiled energy markets and revived fears of a conflict in the tinderbox Gulf region.

Saudi Arabia has said Iran "unquestionably sponsored" the attacks and the weapons used in them were Iranian-made, but has not directly blamed its regional rival.

Agencies contributed to this report.

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