The Ministry of Energy of Saudi Arabia announced on Friday the “preventive” closure of the East-West pipeline, located in the Riyadh and Medina regions and transporting approximately seven million barrels of crude oil per day, after suffering several drone attacks originating from Iraq.
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The ministry stated in a communiqué that the pipeline, the main supply route to global markets in the current context of tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, was “subject to multiple attacks on the morning of Thursday, September 10, 2026,” and therefore “was closed as a precautionary measure.”
“The attacks caused several injuries, who received medical attention,” the note added, citing a department official who did not detail the origin or perpetrator of the attacks.
However, minutes later the Saudi Foreign Ministry assured that the attack was carried out by several drones launched from Iraq, causing damage that is “currently being addressed.”
The Foreign Ministry condemned the attack and clarified that following the request of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi, “to give the Government of Iraq an opportunity to take the necessary measures to prevent attacks launched from Iraqi territory against the kingdom and neighboring countries, Saudi Arabia has chosen not to respond at this stage.”
Nevertheless, Riyadh reaffirmed that “it reserves the right to take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty, security, facilities, citizens, and residents.”
For its part, the Iraqi Government condemned the attacks and valued “the kingdom’s stance and its positive response to Iraq’s efforts to contain the situation,” according to the official Iraqi news agency INA.
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It also added that Al Zaidi “has ordered an urgent investigation into the circumstances of the attacks and the parties responsible for them, instructing legal action against anyone whose involvement is proven.”
Saudi Arabia had previously denounced attacks launched from Iraqi territory by pro-Iranian militias against oil facilities in Riyadh and the Eastern Province, even launching a joint offensive with the United States in response at the end of July.
The East-West pipeline of Saudi Arabia, also called Petroline, is a strategic infrastructure that crosses the country from the oil fields in the east, in the Persian Gulf, to the port of Yanbu, on the Red Sea.
It is about 1,200 kilometers long and has a maximum capacity of 7 million barrels per day.
Its importance lies in allowing crude oil exports while avoiding the Strait of Hormuz, which led Saudi Arabia to increase its use to divert exports to Yanbu and mitigate the impact of the blockade and restrictions on the maritime route.
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