Saudi Arabia Shuts East-West Pipeline After Drone Attacks Riyadh Blames on Iraq

Saudi Arabia temporarily shut its East-West oil pipeline after multiple drone attacks on Thursday damaged the facility and injured several people, prompting emergency teams to secure and inspect it. Riyadh said the drones were launched from Iraq, and agreed not to retaliate immediately at the request of Iraq’s prime minister while Baghdad investigates and works to prevent further attacks; Iraq condemned the strikes and said its territory and airspace would not be used as a launchpad. The closure disrupts a key route for transporting crude from Saudi Arabia’s eastern fields to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, offering an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, although shipments from Yanbu to Asia still depend on the Bab el-Mandeb strait. The attacks come amid escalating Iran-backed militant activity, including Houthi advances in Yemen and the capture of the Red Sea port of Mocha, as well as attacks on vessels and regional energy infrastructure that have reduced Saudi shipments through Bab el-Mandeb. Saudi Arabia has been seeking alternative routes through the Suez Canal and the Sumed pipeline and warned it reserves the right to protect its territory, infrastructure and people.