Iran denied Sunday U.S. accusations that it was behind drone attacks targeting the world's largest oil processing facility at Abqaiq and a major oilfield at Khurais in Saudi Arabia the previous day.
The latest: Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the early Saturday strikes, AP reports. But U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran, saying "there is no evidence the attacks came from Yemen." Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said in a statement the U.S. accusations were "blind, incomprehensible and meaningless."
Why it matters: The attacks cut crude oil output by 5.7m barrels a day, the state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco said. Saudi Arabia estimates that's about half of the country's oil production — roughly 5% of the world's daily crude oil output, per the Wall Street Journal.
Where it stands: The strikes were the largest attacks on "Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure in more than a decade," Bloomberg reports. The energy minister said Saudi Aramco is "working to recover the lost quantities." Saudi Aramco executives held an emergency meeting to determine the damage, per Bloomberg.
Our thought bubble, per Axios' Ben Geman: The attack is likely to push oil prices upward, perhaps significantly so, owing to concern about geopolitical risk — even if, as the Wall Street Journal reports, production is quickly restored and overall Saudi supplies to global markets aren’t disrupted.
What they're saying: President Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke on the phone Saturday, with Trump offering "his support for Saudi Arabia's self-defense," according to Deputy White House Press Secretary Judd Deere.
The big picture: With tensions heightened between the U.S. and Iran, and across the Persian Gulf between Saudi Arabia and Iran —there's a potential "risk to global oil supply," Bloomberg writes.
Go deeper: Saudi Aramco replaces chairman as oil giant prepares for massive IPO
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.