Saudi Arabia shuts major oil pipeline after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels launch drone attacks
- Saudi Arabia says drones hit oil pumping stations near capital
- Follows sabotage of Saudi oil tankers off UAE coast
Drone attacks claimed by Iran-aligned Yemen rebels shut down one of Saudi Arabia’s major oil pipelines, further ratcheting up Gulf tensions after the mysterious sabotage of several tankers.
Washington and Tehran played down tensions after trading barbs as the Americans sent an aircraft carrier group and nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to the region to counter alleged threats from Saudi arch-rival Iran.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude exporter and OPEC kingpin, said two pumping stations had been targeted early Tuesday.
They lie on the East West Pipeline, able to pump five million barrels of oil a day from oil-rich Eastern Province to a Red Sea port.
The announcement came hours after Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they had targeted vital installations in Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition against them.
Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said Saudi Aramco had “temporarily shut down” the pipeline to “evaluate its condition” but added that oil production and exports had not been interrupted.
He said the incident was an “act of terrorism … that not only targets the kingdom but also the security of oil supplies to the world and the global economy”.
Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam tweeted that the attacks were “a response to the aggressors continuing to commit genocide” against Yemenis.
In a statement, the Houthis warned of other “unique operations … if the aggressors continue with their crimes and blockade”.
This was not the first time the Houthis have targeted Saudi Arabia with drones and missiles. The rebels have also claimed to have launched drone attacks inside the United Arab Emirates.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intervened in the Yemen war in March 2015 to bolster the internationally recognised government’s efforts against the Houthis.
The 1,200km (750-mile) pipeline reportedly hit Tuesday serves as an alternative for Saudi crude exports if the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Gulf were to be closed.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait in case of a military confrontation with the US.
The reported pipeline attacks came after the UAE said four ships were damaged in “sabotage attacks” off the emirate of Fujairah, on the mouth of the Hormuz, on Sunday.
Washington and its Gulf allies did not immediately blame Riyadh’s regional arch-rival Tehran for the sabotage, but US President Donald Trump has warned Iran against doing anything to harm US interests.
Additional reporting by Reuters and The Washington Post