The Al-Tayyib border area between Iraq and Iran has been closed after suspicions of the location being used as a launch site for the attacks on Saudi Arabia, according to an Iraqi source.
The attacks linked to Iraqi territory could deepen tensions between Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia. Iraq has closed several border crossings with Iran and launched investigations, while Saudi Arabia has faced attacks on critical energy infrastructure. With regional tensions already high across 3 countries, even one further incident could trigger a dangerous cycle of retaliation.
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, where Iranian-backed militias operate. Iraq dismissed a military commander on Saturday in response to the attack.
The 1,200-km (745-mile) 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 4 million to 5 million barrels per day, amounting to 4% to 5% 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 Medina. The attack resulted in some injuries and damage that was being assessed, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said without detailing the impact on exports.
Al Arabiya/ Reuters
