Iraq Admits the Saudi Pipeline Attacks Came From Its Own Territory

Iraq's government confirmed on Saturday that Friday night attacks on a major Saudi oil pipeline originated from Iraqi territory. Saudi Arabia shut down the pipeline on Friday, treating it as a precautionary measure following a drone attack the previous day. Riyadh declared it would not retaliate, urging Baghdad to take necessary actions.

No group took responsibility for the attacks, and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an alliance of Iran-backed Iraqi militias, denied involvement. On Saturday, US President Donald Trump attributed the pipeline attack to Iran but seemed to minimize the conflict between the US and Saudi Arabia over the Houthis, an Iran-backed militia controlling parts of Yemen.

The Houthis had called the US and expressed a desire to avoid conflict, preferring to let most ships pass through. The Houthis and some Iraqi Shiite armed groups form part of Tehran's "Axis of Resistance," a coalition of Iran-backed militias in the Middle East opposing the US and Israel. The Houthis have blocked the Red Sea since July, seized the port city of Mokha on Thursday, and previously targeted international shipping in the Red Sea citing solidarity with Palestinians, but claimed no intention to do so in their current actions.

Iraq has faced pressure from Washington to control Iran-aligned Shiite armed groups, as some of these militias have struck US-linked targets in the region since the February 28 US and Israel invasion of Iran. Baghdad set a September 30 deadline for their disarmament, but several militias refused to comply, citing the September 30 date as the deadline for the withdrawal of remaining US-led coalition forces from Iraq.

Kataib Hezbollah, one of the most influential militias, criticized the disarmament plan and demanded assurances that US forces would not return and measures to remove US influence from Iraq's political and economic decisions.