RIYADH, September 12 — Saudi Arabia shut down a major east-west crude pipeline on Friday after a drone attack struck a pumping station on the Petroline network, the Saudi energy ministry said, marking the first direct hit on the kingdom’s oil infrastructure since the 2019 Abqaiq assault.
The attack targeted facilities on the Petroline network, which carries up to 5 million barrels per day from eastern fields to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Operations were halted as a precaution and technical teams were dispatched to assess damage, the ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency. The ministry did not specify which pumping station was hit. The Saudi energy ministry said the attack caused several injuries. Arab News reported that 73 civilians were wounded, including women and children.
Iraq’s government said it had removed the commander of a border brigade and opened an investigation into the launch, which originated from an area near the Iranian border. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered security forces to pursue those responsible and prevent Iraqi territory from being used to threaten neighbors.
The “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” militia coalition denied responsibility for the pipeline attack in a statement on Telegram, calling accusations against it “an honour we do not seek.” The group has claimed dozens of attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria since October but said it was not behind this strike.
Oil prices rose in Asian trading, with Brent crude climbing above $104 a barrel. Analysts said the market was pricing in a risk premium for potential escalation in a region that channels roughly one-fifth of global crude supply.
The United States has not issued an official statement on the pipeline attack. The State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Senator Lindsey Graham condemned Iran for orchestrating the attack through its proxies.
Saudi Aramco said exports to customers were unaffected as the company drew on storage and alternative routing. The Petroline system, also known as the East-West Pipeline, was built in the 1980s as a strategic bypass of the Strait of Hormuz.