Trump says US ‘locked and loaded’ in response to drone attack

By

National News

September 16, 2019 - 10:08 AM

Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman, left, meets with U.S. President Donald Trump and in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 20, 2017. (Balkis Press/Abaca Press/TNS)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tensions are flaring in the Persian Gulf after President Donald Trump said the U.S. is “locked and loaded” to respond to a weekend drone assault on Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure that his aides blamed on Iran.

The attack, which halved the kingdom’s oil production and sent crude prices spiking, led Trump to authorize the release of U.S. strategic reserves should they be necessary to stabilize markets.

Trump said the U.S. had reason to believe it knew who was behind the attack his secretary of state had blamed on Iran the previous day and said his government was waiting to consult with the Saudis as to who they believe was behind the attack and “under what terms we would proceed!”

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