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Iran's proxy forces in the Middle East have launched an attack on the global oil supply early this morning, targeting the heart of the world's oil production in Saudi Arabia. Multiple drones launched from inside Iraq attacked the critical East-West oil pipeline in both the Riyadh and Medina regions of Saudi Arabia, forcing Aramco to temporarily shut down the pipeline for safety reasons.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had condemned the attacks saying that "several drones originating from Iraq" had attacked the Petroline pipeline causing injury and damage. The ministry emphasized that Saudi Arabia "reserves its right to take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty, security and critical facilities," but at the request of the Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani it would give the factions responsible for the attack in Iran a time frame to be brought to book by the government in Baghdad.
In Iraq, where the drones apparently were launched from, the attack on Saudi Arabia was condemned by the government of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani. In a statement released by his government, the commander of the army in the region of Maysan was also relieved of his duties apparently because he failed to prevent the drones from leaving his area to attack the East-West oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia.
The East-West pipeline, also referred to as Petroline, carries crude oil from the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. It is capable of transporting up to 5 million barrels per day. This oil pipeline serves as an alternate route for Saudi crude in case the Strait of Hormuz is blocked by any means. Houthi forces, backed by Iran, have already taken control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait which is the other key waterway that connects the Gulf to the global maritime trade.
The attack on the Saudi East-West pipeline is a "dangerous escalation" and constitutes a threat to the security and territorial integrity of Saudi Arabia in violation of international law, said the Gulf Cooperation Council's secretary general Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi.
Early Asian trading saw crude oil prices jump sharply on the news of the strike. The Houthi-controlled western coast of Yemen and the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait are now in the crosshairs of the region's oil arteries after Iranian-linked militias in Iraq have been attacking Saudi oil pipelines. While the Kingdom has not said that Iran was behind Saturday's strike, Washington and Riyadh view Iranian-backed Shia militias in Iraq collectively as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq that operate with support from Tehran.
