Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after a drone attack damaged the vital crude conduit, adding to mounting disruptions to energy flows across the Middle East as the war between the U.S. and Iran widens.
The Saudi energy ministry said the pipeline, which crosses the Arabian Peninsula, was closed as a precaution after it was struck on Thursday morning in the Riyadh and Medina regions. Satellite images showed black smoke rising from an area south of Medina. The Saudi foreign ministry said the attack caused some injuries and damage that was still being assessed, although it did not detail the impact on oil exports.
The pipeline has become increasingly important as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed to a trickle because of the war. In recent months, the conduit has carried between 4 million and 5 million barrels of crude oil per day, according to ship tracking companies and analysts. That represents around 4% to 5% of global oil supply, making the closure significant for an already strained energy market.
The attack has also raised tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Both Baghdad and Riyadh said the drone attack originated in Iraq, where Iranian-backed militias operate, although responsibility for the strike was not immediately established. Iraq’s government condemned the attack and ordered a widescale operation to identify those responsible.
On Saturday, Iraq dismissed a military commander who had led operations in Maysan province, which borders Iran in southeastern Iraq and has long been regarded as an area where Iran-backed Shi’ite militias operate and maintain influence. Iraq also ordered the closure of the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iran as a precaution, according to two security sources. The crossing is one of the main routes for imports of vegetables and other food supplies from Iran.
Saudi Arabia has so far refrained from retaliation after a request from the Iraqi prime minister, the Saudi foreign ministry said. At the same time, Riyadh warned that it reserves the right to “take all measures necessary” to protect its interests.
The pipeline strike came as Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen tightened their grip along the Red Sea. Four Yemeni government sources told Reuters that the Houthis seized the strategic island of Perim on Friday at the mouth of the Red Sea, in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The reported capture, alongside the pipeline attack, could mark a dangerous escalation as diplomatic efforts to end the war have stalled.
The combined disruption around the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea has intensified pressure on energy supplies on both sides of the Arabian Peninsula. Global oil prices have risen back above $100 a barrel, while Saudi crude supply has fallen to its lowest level in more than three decades, according to the International Energy Agency, partly because of attacks on ships transiting Bab el-Mandeb by Houthi-linked groups.
The developments have also prompted Saudi Arabia to seek greater US assistance. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called US President Donald Trump at least twice on Thursday to request military help against the Houthis, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Washington declined to take direct military action for now but agreed to help with intelligence sharing and targeting, the sources said.
The escalation comes as Yemeni government forces signal plans to retake territory captured by the Houthis during their rapid advance along the Red Sea coast. Iran has publicly described the Houthis as an ally while denying that it provides military direction, saying they are “not a proxy”. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree, meanwhile, said maritime navigation remained safe for all shipping except Saudi vessels covered by a previously announced ban.
