Saudi Says Drones From Iraq Hit Oil Pipeline, Forcing Shutdown; Holds Off Retaliation

Saudi Arabia on Friday said several drones launched from Iraq struck its East-West oil pipeline, causing damage and injuries and forcing the key route to be shut as a precaution.

In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry condemned “the targeting of the East-West pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions by several drones coming from Iraq”.

An Energy Ministry official told the SPA news agency that the pipeline was stopped as a precaution and that the attacks left several people injured.

The ministry said the attacks took place on Thursday morning.

Riyadh Holds Off Retaliation

Saudi Arabia said it had decided not to retaliate immediately following a request from the Iraqi prime minister.

“At the request of the Iraqi prime minister… [Riyadh] has chosen not to respond at this stage”

and instead support Baghdad’s efforts to prevent attacks launched from Iraq against Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries, the Foreign Ministry said.

However, Riyadh warned that it “reserves the right to take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty, its security, its facilities” and its people.

The East-West pipeline runs from Abqaiq near the Gulf to Yanbu on the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on the route to move oil towards the Red Sea as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted shipments through the Gulf.

Wider Threat To Regional Shipping

The pipeline attack comes as the conflict has placed growing pressure on key energy and shipping routes across the region.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have also expanded their control along the Red Sea coast, including the Yemeni side of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, according to officials cited in reports.

The group has also seized the strategic Mayyun Island and the Hanish islands, strengthening its position around the narrow waterway linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

The developments have heightened concerns over global trade and energy supplies, with Bab al-Mandab serving as a major shipping route between Europe and Asia.

Saudi Arabia has relied more heavily on its Red Sea infrastructure since Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz restricted its ability to export oil through the Gulf.

(With inputs from agencies)