In a move that confirms the spread of the conflict in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has announced that it has temporarily closed its main oil pipeline route across the country, a day after it was hit by a drone attack in Iraq.
As the Iran-U.S. confrontation continues in West Asia, the country’s Energy Ministry said in a statement that this temporary measure was taken following a drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s “East-West” pipeline route by the Iran-backed rebel group Houthi, which is active in Yemen. It also said this was a precautionary measure.
During the conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel, when oil transport through the Strait of Hormuz was disrupted, this 1,200-kilometer-long 'East-West' pipeline route has played a key role in enabling Saudi Arabia to continue exporting oil.
In this situation, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs alleged that multiple drones that came from Iraq carried out the attack last Thursday (Sept. 10). The Iraqi government, which condemned the attack, also ordered an investigation into it. In addition, Iran dismissed the military commander of the border province of Maysan from service.
This closure measure has been taken for security reasons, as the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have brought the Mocha port and Perim Island, located in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, under their control.
Security forces and technical teams are assessing the extent of the damage, and there has still been no official announcement on when the oil pipeline route will resume operations.
The Bab-el-Mandeb Strait is one of the world’s most important shipping routes. This advance by the Houthis could strengthen Iran’s strategy of raising global oil and gas prices to pressure the United States.
Two groups belonging to the Saudi-backed and internationally recognized Yemeni government said their forces had withdrawn from Perim Island and that the Houthis had seized the city of Dhubab, located on the Red Sea coast opposite the island.
If the Houthis bring the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, located on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz, under their control, Iran, which supports them, could gain a major advantageous position in a war with the United States; this could reduce shipments through the second key route and further drive up oil prices.
On the other hand, this 1,200-kilometer-long pipeline route, which is covered by Saudi Arabia, is an important alternative route for transporting that country’s oil to global markets without using the Strait of Hormuz. Over the past few months, 4 to 5 million barrels of oil per day had been transported through it; this amounts to 4 to 5 percent of global supply. At present, due to this shutdown, crude oil prices in the international market have crossed $100 per barrel.
