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This is a volatile moment in the Gulf. To publish a story blaming Iran for the damaged tankers, based on one anonymous "official" who offers no hard evidence, is irresponsible. apnews.com/d5884f62de8c4f…
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have not attributed blame. Pompeo and Brian Hook declined to do so. A single nameless person in Washington should not be driving the headlines here—especially when that person admits Washington has "no conclusive proof." reuters.com/article/us-sau…
Satellite imagery is not the best way to assess what happened here, since a bird overhead can't see damage at the waterline. What *would* be useful is satellite imagery from around the time these alleged attacks occurred on Sunday. apnews.com/63d729241e0645…
Even by local standards, from the region that brought you "we're blockading Qatar because of something the emir never actually said," this is the weirdest fucking story I've ever attempted to cover
John Abizaid, the American ambassador to Saudi Arabia: "We need to do a thorough investigation to understand what happened, why it happened, and then come up with reasonable responses short of war." uk.reuters.com/article/uk-sau…
Anonymous official is back to say the tankers may have been sabotaged by the Houthis, or Iraqi militias, or some other "proxy sympathetic to or working for Iran." This is not analysis, it's throwing shit at the wall. uk.reuters.com/article/saudi-…
