Riyadh. Saudi Arabia temporarily closed its vital East-West Oil Pipeline after a drone attack on Friday. Meanwhile, Iran-backed Yemen's Houthi fighters have captured a strategic island located at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. This has opened another front in the already ongoing regional war. Islamic militias have made their biggest territorial gains in years around the shipping route of Bab al-Mandeb. This advance by the Houthis could strengthen Iran's efforts to further increase global oil and gas prices. This may strengthen its efforts to increase pressure on America to end the war.
1,200 kilometer long pipeline
Saudi Arabia said it had shut down the 1,200-kilometre East-West pipeline across the Arabian Peninsula following a drone attack the previous day. Saudi Arabia has called this decision a precautionary step. The Saudi Foreign Ministry blamed several drones flown from Iraq for the attack and said that people were injured in the attack. In a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, Saudi Arabia said it would not immediately retaliate to give the Iraqi government the opportunity to take necessary measures. Saudi Arabia, however, said it reserves the right to take all necessary steps to protect its sovereignty, security, establishments and citizens.
Iraq government condemned
The Iraqi government has condemned the Houthi attack. An official statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office said that a military commander has been formally removed from his post after an investigation confirmed that the drones used in the attack were indeed Iraqi. Iraqi sources later said that Iraq had ordered the closure of the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iran as a precautionary measure and launched a massive operation to search for those responsible for the attack. Saudi Arabia and the US jointly bombed positions of Iran-backed militias in Iraq in July. Both countries had accused these militias of carrying out drone attacks on Saudi oil installations, for which the Houthis claimed responsibility.
This pipeline is very important
It is noteworthy that the East-West Pipeline built in the 1980s has been very important for Saudi Arabia's oil exports. The pipeline has remained vital to Saudi oil exports since Iran blocked oil transportation through the Strait of Hormuz during the war. By early June, Saudi Arabia had reportedly more than doubled crude oil exports through the Red Sea port at the western end of the pipeline to more than 5 million barrels a day, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The small and barren volcanic island of Mayun, also known as Perim, located in the Bab al-Mandeb but occupied by the Houthis, has been confirmed by a senior military official from Yemen's internationally recognized government and a Houthi official.
Saudi Arabia depends on the Red Sea
Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, has become more dependent on the Red Sea to deliver crude to international markets after Iran targeted ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Houthi efforts to close the approximately 28 kilometer wide Bab al-Mandeb have also made using this alternative route increasingly difficult. The Houthi armed forces claimed further advances in the coastal region in a statement released on Friday, although it did not specifically mention Mayoun, the port city of Mokha or Bab al-Mandeb. The group pledged to adopt a policy of retaliation against Saudi Arabia and said maritime navigation is safe for all companies except Saudi vessels.
concern in oil market
These developments have increased concern in the oil markets. Crude oil prices again rose above $100 a barrel this week, which could give Tehran an opportunity to apply more pressure in any future talks with Washington. The Houthis have been attacking Saudi ships in the Red Sea since announcing the blockade in July and have also been targeting oil installations inside Saudi Arabia. The group says its attacks are in response to Saudi Arabia's long-running blockade of Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. Saudi Arabia launched an airstrike on Mokha airport after the Houthis captured the port city of Mokha on Thursday, according to a Houthi broadcaster. There were no immediate reports of any casualties or major damage.