CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its key East-West oil pipeline following a drone attack. According to the Saudi Energy Ministry, the pipeline was closed as a precautionary measure. The attack took place on parts of the pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions, with reports of damage and some people being injured.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry said the drones that attacked the pipeline came from the direction of Iraq. However, an investigation is under way into which organisation was behind the attack. Saudi Arabia has so far refrained from an immediate military response and said the Iraqi government should be given an opportunity to act against the attack. Riyadh has also reserved the right to take necessary steps to protect its security and sovereignty.
The East-West pipeline, about 1,200 kilometres long, connects Saudi Arabia’s oil-producing regions with the Red Sea port of Yanbu. It is a key oil route that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz, and in recent months about 4 million to 5 million barrels of oil per day were being transported through it. Its share in global oil supply is estimated at about 4 to 5 percent.
Meanwhile, the increasing activities of Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen in the Red Sea region have also raised concern. These developments are likely to increase pressure on global energy supplies and oil prices.
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