RIYADH — Saudi Arabia has closed its 1,200-kilometer (745-mile) East-West oil pipeline after drones launched from Iraq attacked the line, the BBC and Al Jazeera reported, widening pressure on global energy routes already strained by the U.S.–Iran war.
Saudi officials said Friday’s strikes hit areas in the Riyadh and Medina regions, causing injuries and damage still being assessed. The Energy Ministry said the Abqaiq-to-Yanbu pipeline was shut as a precaution while teams secured the line. Reuters has reported the pipeline had been moving 4% to 5% of global oil supply.
Iraq’s prime minister’s office said the attack originated in Maysan province, which borders Iran, and that the provincial operations commander had been removed pending an investigation. Riyadh said it would not retaliate for now after a call from Baghdad but reserved the right to take all necessary measures.
Al Jazeera cited security sources telling Reuters that Iraq also ordered the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iran closed as a precaution. Brent crude has traded above $100 a barrel amid Houthi advances on Yemen’s Red Sea coast and continued Hormuz disruption.
Sources: BBC, Al Jazeera, Reuters
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