US Considers Response to Saudi Attack
Photo by AP
We ran the numbers: There are 4043 news articles covering this topic. 32% (1307) are left leaning, 41% (1652) center, 27% (1084) right leaning.
This weekend, an oil facility in Saudi Arabia was attacked by multiple drones or missiles. The attacks caused massive damage and have debilitated the nation’s oil production capacity. On Monday, President Trump said that “we pretty much already know” who committed the attack; the Washington Post has reported that Iranian weapons were used in the attack. The US supports the Saudi coalition in the war in Yemen, in which Iran is also involved. Trump has indicated that the US may retaliate after the attack on Saudi oil facilities, if it can be confirmed that Iran was the culprit.
Centrist coverage of the attacks from NPR took the form of an explainer of the relationship between the US, Saudi Arabia, and Iran and the history of conflicts between them. The article notes that Houthi rebels, who are at war with Saudi Arabia in Yemen, have claimed responsibility for the attack, but that it is unlikely that they could have carried out such a sophisticated attack without Iranian involvement.
A left-leaning article from the Washington Post suggested several questions that readers might have about the situation and answered them each by turn. For example, in response to the question “What’s the U.S. role?” the author writes, “The U.S., a close Saudi ally, supports the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen with weapons, intelligence and logistical help.” The article adds “The Trump administration regards Iran’s government as a “rogue regime” intent on “destabilizing activity and support for terrorist proxies” in the Middle East and has imposed sanctions on the country aimed at depriving it of oil revenue, the lifeblood of its economy.”
Right-leaning coverage from the Daily Caller notes that world leaders are carefully avoiding specifically blaming Iran for the attack until it can be conclusively shown that the country was involved. The article also notes Trump’s intent to act, writing “President Donald Trump said late Sunday that the U.S. is prepared to respond. ‘There is reason to believe that we know the culprit,’ the president said in a tweet. The U.S. is ‘locked and loaded depending on verification,’ he said.”
From the right
A Saudi Military Official Says Iranian Weapons Used In Attacks On Global Oil Supply: REPORT
Daily Caller