Saudi Arabia said on Friday it had shut down the kingdom’s key East-West crude oil pipeline as a precaution after multiple drone attacks launched from Iraq.
According to the Saudi government, the drones struck the pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions on Thursday morning, causing fires and some damage. Several people were injured in the attacks, officials said.
The East-West pipeline is strategically important for Saudi Arabia because it allows crude exports to be redirected away from the Persian Gulf to export terminals on the Red Sea. The pipeline has a capacity of 7 million barrels per day. The route has become especially critical as the U.S. and Iran battle for control of the Strait of Hormuz.
The Saudi Energy Ministry said emergency teams were deployed to secure the pipeline and assess its safety after the strikes. “Any further developments will be announced in due course,” the ministry said.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said Riyadh had decided, for now, to refrain from retaliation in order to give the Iraqi government time to take steps to prevent attacks launched from its territory.
Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser said last month that the East-West pipeline had played a bigger role in easing oil supply disruptions caused by the Iran war than the release of emergency crude reserves.
As fighting in the Middle East has intensified, oil prices this week climbed above $100 per barrel for the first time in months. Market speculation suggests the pipeline attack may also have contributed to the rally, with prices ending the week more than 8% higher.
Iran-allied militants have stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia in recent days. Earlier this week, Houthi militants in Yemen struck the kingdom, hitting energy facilities and other civilian assets and injuring more than 70 people, according to the Saudi government.
In July, the Houthis declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia and sought to disrupt the kingdom’s oil exports through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which links the southern Red Sea to global markets.
