Saudi Arabia shuts oil pipeline after attacks from Iraq, holds off retaliation

Saudi authorities said Friday drones launched from Iraq led to the temporary closure of a crucial oil export route used to bypass the lockdown of the Strait of Hormuz, but said it had chosen not to respond at this stage following a request from the Iraqi prime minister.

Riyadh has increased its use of the East-West pipeline, which links Abqaiq, near the Gulf, to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea, since the start of the Middle East war to bypass the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran.

The Saudi foreign ministry condemned "the targeting of the East–West pipeline in the Riyadh and Madinah regions by several drones coming from Iraq, which caused human injuries and damage".

"The pipeline was stopped as a precaution, and the attacks resulted in some injuries," an energy ministry official told the SPA news agency earlier.

Satellite images from Copernicus Sentinel Data taken on Thursday showed black smoke billowing near Madinah, along the general route of the East-West pipeline that carries Saudi oil to its Red Sea coast.

The office of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi confirmed the attack originated from Iraqi territory and said on X that the commander in charge of the southern province of Maysan had been dismissed.

The Iraqi government said it condemned "the attacks targeting our brethren in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia originated from a location within the governorate".

- 'Dangerous escalation' -

Riyadh said that, at the Iraqi prime minister's request, it had chosen "not to respond at this stage and to support the efforts of the Iraqi government...to prevent attacks launched from Iraq against the Kingdom and neighbouring countries".

“Based on a request from the Iraqi prime minister to give the Iraqi government an opportunity to take measures necessary to prevent attacks launched from Iraqi territory against the Kingdom and neighbouring countries, Saudi Arabia has chosen not to respond at this stage and to support the efforts of the Iraqi government,” the ministry said.

The Kingdom stressed, however, that it reserves the right to take all measures necessary to protect its sovereignty, security, facilities, citizens and residents.

Riyadh previously accused Iranian-backed Iraqi militias of targeting its oil infrastructure.

But it stressed that the kingdom "reserves the right to take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty, its security, its facilities," and its people.

Bahrain, Jordan and Qatar also condemned the attack on the Saudi pipeline, while the Gulf Cooperation Council denounced "a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable threat to the security of the Kingdom".

Oil prices have climbed past $100 a barrel this week, while average US diesel prices topped $6 for the first time on Friday -- a potential headache for President Donald Trump ahead of midterm elections.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels announced a maritime blockade in July against Saudi Arabia -- which supports the Yemeni government -- attacking its oil tankers in the Red Sea.

By taking control of the Yemeni Red Sea coast and the islands in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Friday, the Houthis consolidated their grip on the strategic passage linking Europe and Asia.

Navigation through the Bab al-Mandab Strait was "safe" for all but Saudi Arabia following the latest advances, the Houthis said.

Saudi FM talks to his Turkish, Qatari counterparts

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held separate telephone conversations on Friday with his Turkish and Qatari counterparts to discuss regional developments and diplomatic efforts to ease tensions.

During his call with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Prince Faisal discussed cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Turkiye in supporting regional stability and joint efforts to de-escalate tensions, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

He also spoke with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, with the two discussing the latest regional developments and diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions in a way that supports security and stability, SPA added.

Houthis take over Bab al-Mandab Strait

The Iran-backed Houthis controlled Yemen's entire Red Sea coast on Saturday after capturing three strategic islands in a lightning offensive the previous day, cementing their hold on a vital shipping corridor linking Europe and Asia.

The developments are likely to deepen the Middle East war's impact on international commerce as Saudi Arabia shut down an oil pipeline following attacks, and after months of Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Following a week-long offensive that has killed hundreds, government officials said the Houthis seized the Yemeni side of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the southern gateway to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.

A local official with Yemen's Saudi-backed government said on Friday that the Houthis had "completed their takeover of the Bab al-Mandab area and Mayyun Island".

A government military official later reported the group had also seized Greater and Lesser Hanish, the last two islands in the narrow waterway not under their control, as well as all of the neighbouring Red Sea coastline.

"Everything that was under our control on the western coast has fallen," the military official added.

A witness told AFP that gunmen were "deploying along the Bab al-Mandab shore and are driving around in military vehicles".

The capture of the islands, particularly Mayyun in the middle of the strait, heightens the Houthis' ability to attack Saudi tankers, which they have been targeting since July.

Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, has relied on the Red Sea ever since Iran's Hormuz blockade choked off its shipments via the Gulf.

Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, congratulated the Houthis on their "resounding victory" on Friday.

Oil prices have soared past $100 a barrel this week, while average US diesel prices topped $6 for the first time on Friday -- a potential headache for President Donald Trump ahead of midterm elections.

The Houthis' military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said navigation through the Bab al-Mandab Strait was "safe" for all but Saudi Arabia following the latest advances.

- 'Great victories' -

The Houthi offensive has killed more than 500 people, according to sources on both sides.

It has also displaced about 46,000 people, the UN migration agency said on Friday.

It is part of renewed hostilities in Yemen's civil war that began with the group's takeover of the capital Sanaa in 2014.

Houthi supporter Abdulhamid Dhaifallah lauded the group's "great victories" in and along the strait.

The Saudi energy ministry on Friday announced that attacks led to the closure of the pipeline -- which it had been increasingly using to bypass Hormuz -- adding that injuries were recorded.

"The East-West pipeline in the Riyadh and Madinah regions was subjected to several attacks on Thursday morning," a ministry official told the SPA news agency, adding: "The pipeline was stopped as a precaution, and the attacks resulted in some injuries."

The office of Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced the dismissal of the commander in charge of the southern Maysan province following "confirmation that the attacks targeting our brethren in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia originated from a location within the governorate".

Bahrain, Jordan and Qatar also condemned the attacks on the Saudi pipeline, while the Gulf Cooperation Council denounced "a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable threat to the security of the Kingdom".

Before the Red Sea offensive, the Houthis already controlled a large part of Yemen's north.

They have recently attacked government-held areas in Hodeida and Taiz provinces and swept down the coast, seizing the port city of Mocha and Zuqar Island, north of Bab al-Mandab, on Thursday.

Mohamed, 46, who fled Mocha in the middle of the night, told AFP there was an "apocalyptic" atmosphere in the historic city.

Yemen govt forces hit Houthis in Red Sea city

Yemen's Riyadh-backed government forces said on Saturday they have struck Iran-allied Houthi fighters in the strategic Red Sea city of Mocha.

Following a week-long offensive, the Houthis on Friday captured Yemen's Red Sea coast, cementing their hold on the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital artery for Saudi Arabian oil exports as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed amid the US-Iran war.

"The armed forces destroyed vehicles and weapons and killed members of the Houthi terrorist militia backed by the Iranian regime," near the port of the city of Mocha, the government news agency Saba reported.

The spokesman for the Yemeni government forces, Majed Abdullah al-Nazili, said they have also struck the Houthis' "vehicles and members" on the Mocha-Dhubab road, 11 kilometres (7 miles)  from the city, according to Saba.

Nazili said Friday they had begun shelling areas in Mocha, and called on citizens not to use the Taiz-Mocha and Mocha-Dhubab roads.

The Houthis seized control of Mocha on Thursday, with their attack driving many to flee to Aden, where the internationally recognised government is based.

On Friday, Houthi media said two Saudi strikes hit Mocha's airport, while a local official said the city's seaport was hit by six missiles of unknown origin.

The Houthi offensive, which started last week, has killed more than 500 people, according to sources on both sides.

It has also displaced about 46,000 people, the UN migration agency said on Friday.

It is part of renewed hostilities in Yemen's civil war that began with the group's takeover of the capital Sanaa in 2014.

Trump says Houthis have asked US not to intervene

US President Donald Trump said Saturday that Yemen's Iran-allied Houthi fighters, who have seized a vital shipping corridor linking Europe and Asia, have asked Washington not to intervene.

The Houthis have taken control of Yemen's entire Red Sea coast after capturing three strategic islands in a lightning offensive.

Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, has relied on the area ever since Iran's Hormuz blockade choked off its shipments via the Gulf.

"The Houthis called us and they don't want to fight with us," Trump told reporters on a visit to Dublin, Ireland.

"They don't want us to go after them."

"He added that "everything's gonna work out fine and dandy," in the region.

Trump also mentioned having spoken to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom he described as a "friend".

According to US outlet Axios, bin Salman called Trump twice on Thursday to request US strikes on the Houthis, but the American president declined.

The Houthis also targeted Saudi Arabian oil facilities this week with a massive drone and missile attack.

Iraq closes three Iran crossings after drone launch

Iraq closed three border crossings with Iran on Saturday, officials told AFP, after a drone attack on a Saudi Arabian pipeline that both Riyadh and Baghdad said was launched from Iraq.

Soon after the attack, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi dismissed the military commander in Missan province, bordering Iran, after authorities determined that the drones had been launched from there.

No group has claimed responsibility, and an alliance of powerful Tehran-backed Iraqi armed groups said they hadn't struck the pipeline, but Riyadh has previously accused these groups of targeting its oil infrastructure.

An Iraqi security source and a government official told AFP that authorities ordered the closing of three border crossings with Iran.

The security source said that the decision is "part of an intelligence effort to track down the perpetrators and prevent their escape... and to hinder the smuggling of drones through these crossings".

Both sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to the media, could not specify when the crossings would reopen.

The closed crossings are Shalamsheh in Basra province and al-Shib in Missan, as well as al-Mandali in the central province of Diyala.

Other border crossings with Iran are still open.

The government's security media cell said that authorities "have started administrative and security reorganisation operations at several border crossings".

It added that they have stepped up "intelligence activities" to determine "the breaches and violations that took place at these crossings", without specifying which border posts.

It later announced that passengers stranded for hours at two crossings were permitted to pass.

In July, the United States and Saudi Arabia said they had struck Iran-backed militants in Iraq in response to attacks on US forces and Saudi oil facilities.

Pro-Iran armed groups have supported Tehran during the Middle East war, claiming hundreds of attacks on US bases in Iraq and across the region.

On Saturday, those groups, operating under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, said they had not struck the pipeline.

"Accusations against the Iraqi resistance regarding the targeting of vital Saudi installations on Friday are an honour that we do not claim," they said in a statement.

Under mounting US pressure, Zaidi has pledged to ensure that armed factions surrender their weapons to the state.

The issue has fuelled tensions in recent weeks, with several groups refusing to disarm.