Saudi Arabia halts oil pipeline after drone strikes launched from Iraq
Saudi Arabia temporarily shut down a key oil export pipeline following drone attacks originating from Iraqi territory. The incident coincides with Houthi forces seizing a strategic island controlling a vital shipping strait.
Saudi authorities said Friday that drones launched from Iraq caused the temporary shutdown of a crucial oil export pipeline. The East-West pipeline links the Abqaiq oil fields near the Gulf to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, and Riyadh has relied on it more heavily since the start of the Middle East war, when Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz.
The Saudi foreign ministry condemned the strike by several drones on the pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions, saying it caused injuries and damage. An energy ministry official told the SPA news agency the pipeline was halted as a precaution and that the attack had injured several people. Satellite imagery from the Copernicus Sentinel system taken Thursday showed black smoke rising near Medina along the pipeline's route.
The office of Iraqi prime minister Ali al-Zaidi confirmed the attack originated from Iraqi territory and announced the dismissal of the military commander responsible for the southern Maysan province. Iraq's government condemned the attacks, which it said targeted Saudi Arabia from a location inside its own territory. Riyadh said that, at the Iraqi premier's request, it was holding off on a response for now, while reserving the right to take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty and people. Saudi Arabia had previously blamed Iranian-backed Iraqi militias for attacks on its oil infrastructure.
Bahrain, Jordan and Qatar also condemned the attack, and the Gulf Cooperation Council called it a dangerous escalation. Oil prices climbed past $100 a barrel this week, while average US diesel prices topped $6 for the first time on Friday, adding pressure on President Donald Trump ahead of the midterm elections.
Houthi advance in the Bab al-Mandab strait
Separately, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who declared a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia in July and have attacked its oil tankers, captured the strategic island of Perim in the Bab al-Mandab strait on Friday. The move strengthened Houthi control over the narrow waterway linking Europe and Asia, with the group stating that passage through the strait remained safe for all vessels except those belonging to Saudi Arabia.
