Saudis shut vital oil pipeline after drone attack

• Conduit carries 4m-5m barrels per day • Iraq removes security chiefs after attack • Riyadh, Baghdad say attack originated in Iraq • Trump says Houthis asked US not to intervene in the conflict ADEN: 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 said it temporarily closed the pipeline as a precaution after a drone attack that both Baghdad and Riyadh said had originated in Iraq. Baghdad dismissed a military commander on Saturday in response to the attack. The 1,200km pipeline running across the Arabian Peninsula has served as the main route out for global supplies of Middle East oil for the past six months while the Strait of Hormuz has been largely shut by war. It has been moving four million to five million barrels per day, amounting to 4pc to 5pc of global supply, sparing Saudi Arabia the brunt of the disruption that has crippled other Gulf oil and gas exporters. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the strikes. Satellite images showed black smoke rising from an area of the pipeline south of Madinah. The attack resulted in some injuries and damage that was being assessed, the Saudi foreign ministry said without detailing the impact on exports. US President Donald Trump, visiting Ireland to attend a golf tournament at one of his resorts, said Iran was probably to blame. Saudi leader asks for military help Oil prices shot up over the past week and the retail price of diesel in the United States surged past a record $6 a gallon, as the United States and Iran both fired on tankers and the Houthis in Yemen advanced along the Red Sea, potentially extending disruption to another major oil route. Washington now faces a dilemma over whether to help the Saudis fight the Hou­this, risking further expansion of the war. Trump confirmed on Saturday that he had spoken to Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and said the Houthis had also phoned his administration and asked Washington not to become directly involved in the conflict. On Thursday, the crown prince phoned Trump and asked for US military help fighting the Houthis, three sources told Reuters. They said the prince was told that Washington would not intervene directly for now but would help with intelligence. Four Yemeni government sources told Reuters that the Houthis had seized the strategic island of Perim on Friday in the middle of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait — the 'Gate of Tears' at the mouth of the Red Sea. Meanwhile, Yemen's Riyadh-backed government forces said on Saturday they had struck Houthi fighters near the strategic Red Sea city of Mocha, destroying vehicles and weapons, according to state news agency Saba. The Houthis had seized Mocha a day earlier after heavy fighting as part of their offensive along Yemen's Red Sea coast. The apparent launch of the attack on the Saudi pipeline from Iraq puts additional pressure on the Baghdad government, which is unique in the region for maintaining close political and military ties with both the United States and Iran. Iraq dismissed the military commander and police chief in Maysan province near the Iranian frontier, long regarded as an area where Iran-backed militias operate and maintain influence, and shut the main border crossing there. Saudi Arabia, which previously struck pro-Iranian militia in Iraq, has opted not to retaliate so far, following a request from the Iraqi prime minister, the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement. Saudi crude supply fell to the lowest levels in more than three decades, the International Energy Agency said on Friday, partly due to attacks on ships transiting Bab al-Mandeb by Houthi-linked groups. In Yemen, Saudi-backed forces of a government based in the south indicated they would try to retake areas captured this week in the lightning offensive by the Houthis, mountain fighters who seized the capital 12 years ago and withstood years of deadly Saudi air strikes during Yemen's civil war. Reuters reported on Thursday that the dramatic Houthi advance down Yemen's Red Sea coast came with direct guidance from Iran's Revolutionary Guards. Iran describes the Houthis as an ally but publicly denies giving them military direction. The Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said maritime navigation remained safe for all shipping except Saudi vessels subject to a previously announced ban. Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2026