UN sends experts to Saudi to probe oil attacks: Diplomats

UN experts are expected in Saudi Arabia to lead an international inquiry into the weekend attacks on oil installations in the kingdom, diplomats said Wednesday. "It's very good that an international probe will get underway," said one diplomat on condition of anonymity. Another source said the experts were either traveling or already in Saudi Arabia.

The UN experts have been dispatched under the terms of a Security Council resolution on the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, and another resolution on a Yemen arms embargo, the diplomats said. The 2015 resolution stipulates that UN experts can be sent if military hardware made in Iran are found elsewhere.

The Yemen resolution created an experts' committee on how the embargo is applied. Those experts have been activated over the Saudi attacks because the Iran-backed Huthi rebels claimed responsibility for the strikes, a diplomat said. Riyadh said Wednesday the attacks were "unquestionably" sponsored by Iran.