Even more relevant is the fact that massive American hardware deployed in Saudi Arabia inside out and outside in - satellites, AWACS, Patriot missiles, drones, battleships, jet fighters - didn't see a thing, or certainly not in time. The sighting of three "loitering" drones by a Kuwaiti bird hunter arguably heading towards Saudi Arabia is being invoked as "evidence". Cue to the embarrassing picture of a drone swarm - wherever it came from - flying undisturbed for hours over Saudi territory.
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Professor Mohammad Marandi from the University of Tehran, who has very close relations with the Foreign Ministry, is adamant: "It didn't come from Iran. If it did, it would be very embarrassing for the Americans, showing they are unable to detect a large number of Iranian drones and missiles. That doesn't make sense."

Marandi additionally stresses, "Saudi air defenses are not equipped to defend the country from Yemen but from Iran. The Yemenis have been striking against the Saudis, they are getting better and better, developing drone and missile technology for four and a half years, and this was a very soft target."
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The strike at Abqaiq shows that the entire Middle East production of over 18 million barrels of oil a day - including Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia - can be easily knocked out. There is zero adequate defense against these drones and missiles.

"We are not aware of any information that points to Iran," Kono said during a press briefing, opposing Saudi and Trump administration suggestions that Iran was to blame for the recent attack on Saudi Aramco facilities.

"We believe the Houthis carried out the attack based on the statement claiming responsibility," Kono said.

Kono said Japan, an ally of both Iran and the US, is still in the process of determining who was behind the attacks, which were allegedly carried out by drones.

"Given Japan's strong ties with the US based on the US-Japan Alliance, and the relationship of trust that Japan has with various countries located in the Middle East, Japan is in a position to fulfill a mediating role," said Kono.
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French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian also said on Tuesday that he is not aware of evidence demonstrating Iranian involvement.

"Up to now France doesn't have proof permitting it to say that these drones came from such and such a place, and I don't know if anyone has proof," said Le Drian. "We need a strategy of de-escalation for the area, and any move that goes against this de-escalation would be a bad move for the situation in the region."

"The press conference proved that Saudi Arabia knows nothing about where the missiles and drones were made or launched from and failed to explain why the country's defence system failed to intercept them," Ashena wrote on Wednesday on his Twitter page, as quoted by the Mehr news agency.

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