The world’s largest crude oil exporter temporarily closed the pipeline after a drone attack that both Baghdad and Riyadh said had originated in Iraq, where militias operate. Iraq dismissed a military commander on Saturday in response to the attack.
The 1,200-kilometre pipeline running across the Arabian Peninsula had helped Saudi Arabia to bypass a shipping logjam in the Strait of Hormuz, where tanker traffic has slowed to a trickle due to the conflict between the US and Iran.
The Saudi energy ministry said it had shut the pipeline as a precaution. The line has been moving 4 million to 5 million barrels per day in recent months, amounting to 4% to 5% of global supply, according to ship tracking companies and analysts.
The attack comes as Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen tightened their grip in the Red Sea. Four Yemeni government sources told Reuters that Houthis had seized the strategic island of Perim on Friday at the mouth of the Red Sea, in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The dual attacks reported on Friday - on the pipeline and Perim island - could represent a dangerous escalation while diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have stalled.
