Saudi Arabia halts East-West pipeline after drone strikes launched from Iraq

Pipeline shutdown following drone strikes

Saudi Arabia temporarily halted operations on its 1,200-kilometer East-West oil pipeline following multiple drone strikes on Thursday. The attacks hit pumping stations adjacent to the pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions, inflicting infrastructure damage and injuring several people who received medical treatment. Satellite imagery captured by NASA and commercial operators showed black smoke and fire damage at pumping facilities south-east of Medina near Mahd ad-Dhahab. The pipeline allows state oil company Aramco to move crude from eastern oil fields across the kingdom to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Saudi authorities had diverted roughly 5 million barrels per day through the link after Iranian forces effectively blocked maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

Baghdad launches probe as Riyadh holds retaliation

Saudi government officials stated that the unmanned aerial vehicles were launched from Iraqi territory, where several Iran-aligned militia groups operate. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the strike but agreed to pause retaliatory military action following a direct appeal from Baghdad.

The Kingdom explains that in response to the request of the Prime Minister of Iraq, to give the brotherly Iraqi government the opportunity to take the necessary steps to prevent attacks on the Kingdom and neighboring countries carried out from Iraqi territory, it decided at this stage not to respond, thereby supporting the efforts of the Iraqi government.

Iraqi authorities welcomed the Saudi decision to refrain from immediate retaliation. An Iraqi military spokesman announced that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi directed security agencies to open an inquiry, identify the perpetrators, and pursue legal penalties against those responsible. The Iraqi armed forces added in an official statement that Iraq opposes any actions that jeopardize the security of Saudi Arabia.

Escalating threats along Red Sea transit routes

The temporary pipeline closure coincides with expanding military control by Houthi forces along the Red Sea coast of Yemen. On 3 September, Houthi fighters initiated an armed offensive that seized the port of Mocha and positions across the Hanish archipelago north of the Bab al-Mandab strait. Saudi and Yemeni officials reported that Houthi units also took control of Perim Island and advanced into the town of Zubab near the waterway. Houthi leaders announced plans to blockade the Bab al-Mandab strait against Saudi oil tankers heading to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Crude oil prices moved above $100 per barrel during the week as physical export corridors from the Arabian Peninsula faced simultaneous interruptions.

Saudi export capacity and refinery exposure

The strikes disrupt an export network that was already operating below historical output levels. According to the International Energy Agency, Saudi crude deliveries dropped in August to approximately 6 million barrels per day, the lowest monthly volume in more than 30 years. That decline followed average production of roughly 9.4 million barrels per day during 2025 and a recovery from 7 million to over 8 million barrels per day in July. Before the shutdown, Aramco was transporting 5 million barrels per day through the East-West pipeline while completing technical preparations to expand total throughput capacity to 7 million barrels per day. The pipeline outage affects international buyers, including Polish refineries, which source nearly 60% of their crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia.