Saudi Arabia temporarily shut its major East-West crude pipeline after drone attacks launched from Iraq struck the Riyadh and Medina regions. The closure compounds global energy disruptions caused by the six-month U.S.-Iran conflict, even as regional leaders grapple with escalating maritime security crises in the Red Sea.
Pipeline Shutdown Follows Drone Strikes Across Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia suspended operations along its critical East-West pipeline after multiple aerial drone attacks triggered fires and structural damage in the Riyadh and Medina regions, according to the Saudi government. Emergency teams were deployed to secure the pipeline and assess its safety after Thursday’s attacks, the Saudi Energy Ministry said. Several people were injured in the attacks, it said. Any further developments will be announced in due course,
the ministry said.
The 1,200-km (745-mile) pipeline running across the Arabian Peninsula has served as the main route out for global supplies of Middle East oil for the past six months while the Strait of Hormuz has been largely shut by war. It has been moving 4 million to 5 million barrels per day, amounting to 4% to 5% of global supply, sparing Saudi Arabia the brunt of the disruption that has crippled other Gulf oil and gas exporters. The pipeline, which has a capacity of 7 million barrels per day, runs across the kingdom to export terminals on the Red Sea.
Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser said last month that the East-West pipeline has played a bigger role in mitigating the oil supply disruption caused by the Iran war than the release of emergency crude reserves. Oil prices this week broke above $100 per barrel for the first time in months. A satellite image shows black smoke rising from an area of Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline south of Medina.
Baghdad Investigates Cross-Border Launch as Iraq Closes Boundaries
Both Riyadh and Baghdad confirmed that the drones used in the pipeline assault originated inside Iraqi territory. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigation into the operations command in Maysan province and dismissed its commander after authorities determined that attacks targeting Saudi Arabia were launched from a site in the province, the Iraqi government said in a statement early Saturday. Iraq closed two key border crossings with Iran, halting all passenger and commercial traffic until further notice, Iran’s state-run media reported Saturday.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry blamed the attacks on several drones that came from Iraq and, in a statement, said the kingdom would not retaliate to give the Iraqi government an opportunity to take the necessary measures.
Riyadh has decided to refrain from retaliating for now to give the Iraqi government time to take measures to prevent attacks from its territory, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said. Iraq has sought to prevent Saudi Arabia from retaliating by admitting the attack came from Iraq.
The Iraqi government has set a Sept. 30 deadline for nonstate groups to disarm, but several of the most powerful militias have said they will not comply. The militias in Iraq were supposed to be reined in by the new Iraqi prime minister Ali al Zaidi. He had vowed that they would either be disarmed or have their arms put under state control. However, the militias are trying to play for time. They know that US forces are leaving Iraq by September 30. US air defenses are also reported to be moving out of key areas such as the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq.
Red Sea Shipping Crisis Widens as Regional Fronts Multiply
The pipeline shutdown coincides with a deteriorating security posture across regional waterways. Pressure to disarm the militias is especially acute as the Iran-backed Houthi rebels make an advance across Yemen’s west coast in a major setback to the Saudi-backed coalition that risks escalating the war in the region. The Houthis on Friday seized an island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping lane through which around 12% of global trade passes. Houthis advance along Red Sea coast, take strategic island at mouth of the waterway, and the Saudis were reported to ask Trump for military help to combat Houthi advance.
Their virtual control of the strait could send global oil prices — already inflated by the six-month Iran-U.S. war — spiraling. The strait has become a vital commercial lane for Saudi oil ever since the Iran war disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Asked about the region Saturday while speaking to reporters in Dublin, U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran was “probably” responsible for the pipeline attack, but tried to calm concerns. He said his administration has had discussions
with the Houthis, though he did not specify when those talks occurred and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the timing of the discussions.
