GUIDANCE

Q&A: Why Did Iran Attack Saudi Arabia?

Sep 20, 2019 | 18:56 GMT

This Sept. 20, 2019, photo shows the damage at Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq oil processing plant following attacks six days before.

This Sept. 20, 2019, photo shows the damage at Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq oil processing plant following attacks six days before. There is a method to Iran's ostensible madness in attacking a prominent U.S. ally like Saudi Arabia.

(FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images)

The Sept. 14 attacks on Saudi oil facilities highlight how quickly the Middle East's conflicts can threaten global energy markets, underscoring the new reality that Saudi oil production is not immune to external geopolitical forces and that its oil customers can no longer count on uninterrupted access to the country's oil exports. Meanwhile, regional and global powers like the United States face difficult choices in responding to provocative behavior without igniting a broader conflict....

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