Saudis shut down oil pipeline as Houthis tighten grip on Red Sea shipping
The 1,200-kilometer pipeline running across the Arabian Peninsula had helped Saudi Arabia to bypass a shipping logjam in the Strait of Hormuz, where tanker traffic has slowed to a trickle due to the war between the United States and Iran.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometer East-West oil pipeline after it came under drone attack, likely originating from Iraq where Iranian-backed militias operate, according to both Baghdad and Riyadh. The pipeline, which bypasses a shipping logjam in the Strait of Hormuz due to the US-Iran war, had moved 4 million to 5 million barrels per day, accounting for 4 to 5 percent of global supply.
The attack coincides with the Houthi rebels in Yemen tightening their control over the Red Sea's strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, contributing to energy shortages for both Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The Houthis reportedly seized the island of Perim on the Red Sea's Bab el-Mandeb, further disrupting shipping. The dual attacks on the pipeline and Perim island could signify an escalation in the conflict, which has stalled diplomatic efforts for peace.
Saudi Arabia has requested US military assistance against the Houthis amid rising fuel prices. Iraq has dismissed a military commander in Maysan province, bordering Iran, due to the attack, while Iraq's government condemned the strikes. Saudi crude output dropped to its lowest level in over three decades, according to the International Energy Agency, partly due to the attacks on vessels passing through Bab el-Mandeb by Houthi-linked groups.
Iraq has closed the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iran as a precautionary measure, impacting imports of food supplies from Iran.
Written by urgent.news from The Jakarta Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
