Saudi Arabia on Friday expressed its “strongest condemnation” after a key oil pipeline was struck by drones originating from Iraq.Riyadh said that the attack led to some injuries as well as material damage, which was being assessed.The Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office also said investigations confirmed that the attack on Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline “had been launched from a location within” the southern province of Maysan, Al-Jazeera reported. A military commander who led operations in the province has been dismissed, the prime minister’s office said.Several Iran-backed militias operate from Iraq, and Saudi Arabia has accused them of carrying out attacks on its oil facilities. However, it was not immediately clear who carried out the attack on Friday.Following the attack on Friday, Saudi Arabia has temporarily closed the 1,200-km pipeline as a precautionary measure, Reuters reported. The East-West pipeline had helped Saudi Arabia bypass a shipping blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, which has largely been blocked for international vessels since the war in West Asia broke out.Saudi Arabia said it would not retaliate as of now, following a request from Iraq, Al Jazeera reported. However, it said it reserves the right to take all measures necessary to safeguard its sovereignty, security and critical facilities.“At the request of the Iraqi Prime Minister to allow the brotherly Iraqi government the opportunity to take the necessary measures to prevent attacks launched from Iraqi territory against the Kingdom and neighbouring countries, the Kingdom has chosen not to respond at this stage and to support the efforts of the Iraqi government,” the country’s foreign ministry said.Iraq welcomed Saudi Arabia’s decision and affirmed its rejection of “any aggression that threatens the Kingdom’s security and stability or harms the deep-rooted fraternal relations between the two countries”.Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said that the attack constituted a dangerous escalation and “an unacceptable threat to the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, its territorial integrity, and its vital installations”, Al-Jazeera reported.Albudaiwi called on Iraq to intensify its efforts “to prevent its territory from being used as a launchpad for such attacks”.West Asia warThe war in West Asia began when the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran on February 28, claiming that Tehran’s action posed an existential threat to Israel. Washington acts as a guarantor of Israel’s security. Iran retaliated by striking Israel and US military bases in the region, targeting major cities in Gulf countries and ships.On June 15, the US and Iran arrived at an interim agreement to stop the fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz for commercial vessels. However, diplomatic efforts to end the war have stalled since then.Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.