President Donald Trump pointed the finger at Tehran on September 12, saying Iran was “probably” responsible for the drone attack that struck Saudi Arabia’s critical East-West pipeline two days earlier.
Brent crude briefly touched roughly $110 per barrel in the aftermath of the September 10 strikes.
What happened on the ground
On September 10, drone strikes hit pump stations along Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions. The attacks caused injuries and significant infrastructure damage, prompting Saudi Arabia to immediately shut down the pipeline as a precaution.
The East-West pipeline spans 1,200 kilometers, connecting Saudi oil fields in the east to export terminals on the Red Sea coast. Under normal operations, it moves an estimated 4% to 5% of the world’s oil supply.
