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The prime minister boarded a flight at Heathrow for the annual UN General Assembly in New York
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has blamed Iran for attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities ahead of a meeting with the country’s president, Hassan Rouhani.
Mr Johnson said there was a “very high degree of probability” Iran was behind the drone and missile attacks on two oil facilities, which Tehran denies.
The prime minister declined to rule out military intervention and said sanctions were also a possibility.
The US, which also blames Iran, is sending more troops to Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has also accused Iran of carrying out the 14 September attacks, in which 18 drones and seven cruise missiles hit an oil field and processing facility.
Speaking on board an RAF Voyager jet on the way to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Mr Johnson gave the UK’s first attribution of blame.
He said: “I can tell you that the UK is attributing responsibility with a very high degree of probability to Iran for the Aramco attacks.”
Mr Johnson said he would be working with the US and other European countries “to construct a response that tries to de-escalate tensions in the Gulf region”.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility, while Iran itself has denied any involvement. It warned it would retaliate against any attacks after the US announced it was sending troops to Saudi Arabia.
“Clearly if we are asked either by the Saudis or the Americans to have a role then we would consider in what way we could be useful,” Mr Johnson said.
Asked if military action was possible, he said: “We will consider in what way we could be useful if asked and depending on what the exact plan is.”
Sanctions also remained on the table, he said.