Kerry: ‘One way or the other’ Iran was responsible for Saudi attack

Former Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday that he believes Iran is “one way or the other” responsible for attacks on Saudi oil fields and production facilities and credited President Trump for exploring nonmilitary options.

“I believe Iran, one way or the other, was behind the attack that took place. That, to me, is obvious,” Kerry said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “It’s also obvious that it’s got to be denied and it will be denied because they need plausible deniability.”

Former Secretary of State @JohnKerry says “I believe Iran one way or another was behind the attack that took place.” pic.twitter.com/0apLUMIGp6

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) September 22, 2019

{mosads}Iran has denied responsibility for the attacks, for which Houthi rebels backed by Tehran have claimed credit. Trump administration officials have put blame for the attacks squarely on Tehran.

Trump, Kerry said Sunday, “is absolutely correct to be evaluating not being rushed into a corner to go to war.”

“That is what we shouldn’t do,” he added, “but you’ve also got to look at what happened afterwards, after we pulled out” of the 2015 nuclear agreement.

“We basically declared economic war on Iran,” Kerry told CBS’s Margaret Brennan, pointing to reimposed sanctions on Tehran. “We have been pressuring them, maximum pressure, and it was entirely foreseeable that that would result in further conflict.”

Despite the U.S.’s withdrawal from the agreement in 2018, Kerry said there are still diplomatic paths to a resolution.

“Our allies still support the agreement, but our allies also support holding Iran accountable for other issues in the region,” he said. “I believe [with] better diplomacy, more diplomacy with our allies … there is a road to an agreement that could provide a full new security arrangement for the region and deal with the nuclear interest.”