Saudi Arabia shut down its East-West pipeline after a drone attack in the widening Middle East war, with the Saudi Energy Ministry calling the closure a precaution. The attack also prompted Iraq to dismiss a military commander and close the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iran. The strikes came as Houthi rebels tightened their grip on Red Sea shipping and Saudi crude supply fell to its lowest level in more than three decades.
Satellite image shows damage to the East-West pipeline facility in the Hejaz Region, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 11. Reuters-Yonhap
ADEN/DUBAI — Saudi Arabia has shut down its East-West pipeline after the vital oil conduit came under aerial attack in the widening Middle East war, threatening to send energy prices even higher.
The world’s largest crude oil exporter temporarily closed the pipeline after a drone attack that both Baghdad and Riyadh said had originated in Iraq, where Iranian-backed militias operate. Iraq dismissed a military commander on Saturday in response to the attack.
The 1,200-km (745-mile) pipeline running across the Arabian Peninsula had helped Saudi Arabia to bypass a shipping logjam in the Strait of Hormuz, where tanker traffic has slowed to a trickle due to the six-month war between the U.S. and Iran.
