Johnson blames Iran for Saudi oil attacks, says UK could join US-led coalition

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly blamed Iran for recent attacks on Saudi oil facilities and said he would consider joining a U.S.-led military effort. 

Speaking to reporters flying with him late Sunday to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, Johnson said “the U.K. is attributing responsibility with a very high degree of probability to Iran,” according to The Associated Press. 

{mosads}“We will be working with our American friends and our European friends to construct a response that tries to de-escalate tensions in the Gulf region,” Johnson said.

The Houthi rebels in Yemen have claimed the attack on the oil facilities, and Tehran has denied involvement. 

The Trump administration has pointed the finger at Iran for the attack and responded with increased sanctions on the nation’s central bank.

Johnson said he would meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani during this week’s U.N. gathering, the AP reports. He is also set to meet with President Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, according to AP. 

European nations, including Britain, are still involved with the 2015 nuclear deal reached with Iran. Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Obama-era deal last year, escalating tensions between the nations. 

Late last week, Trump also authorized the deployment of more U.S. troops and equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in response to the attacks on the oil facilities.

Rouhani reportedly said Monday that the latest sanctions the Trump administration imposed on Iran last week show the U.S. in a state of “desperation.”