DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) An oil pipeline that runs across Saudi Arabia was hit by drones today west of its capital of Riyadh, the Saudi energy minister said, shortly after rebels in Yemen claimed they carried out coordinated drone strikes against the kingdom.
The attacks followed reports of sabotage against oil tankers in the Persian Gulf off the coast of the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, with tensions rising between the U.S. and Iran.
Oil prices rose today, with benchmark Brent crude trading over $71 a barrel, up more than $1 on the day.
Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih Al-Falih vowed that production and export of Saudi oil would not be interrupted. In a statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, he called the pipeline attack cowardly, saying that recent acts of sabotage against the kingdoms vital installations were targeting not only Saudi Arabia, but also the safety of the worlds energy supply and global economy.
Yemens Houthi rebels said they launched seven drones against vital installations in Saudi Arabia, which borders Yemen to the north. Saudi Arabia has been at war with the Houthis and their allies in Yemen since March 2015, targeting the Iranian-allied rebels with near daily airstrikes.
This is a message to Saudi Arabia: Stop your aggression, Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdel-Salam told The Associated Press. Our goal is to respond to the crimes they are committing everyday against the Yemeni people.
The two oil pumping stations targeted in Saudi Arabia are over 500 miles from Yemens northern border with the kingdom. It wasnt immediately known where the Houthis launched the drones.
The attacks demonstrated the increased risks in a region vital to global energy supplies amid heightened tensions following the Trump administrations withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, and the subsequent reimposition of U.S. sanctions to cripple the Iranian economy. Iran has since said it would begin enriching uranium at higher levels by July 7 if world powers failed to negotiate new terms for the deal.
Al-Falih said the drone attacks reaffirm the need of the international community to confront the activities of groups like the Houthis, whom he accused of being backed by Iran, Saudi Arabias regional rival.
He said the drones had targeted petroleum pumping stations supplying a pipeline running from its oil-rich Eastern Province to the Yanbu Port on the Red Sea.
Saudi Aramco, the government-controlled oil company, said that as a precaution, it temporarily shut down the East-West Pipeline and contained the fire, which caused minor damage to one pumping station. It added that Saudi Aramcos oil and gas supplies have not been affected by the attack.
Saudi Arabia said the two petroleum pumping stations that were struck by drones are located in the greater region of Riyadh, home to the landlocked capital. The stations, targeted around the same time early today, are located in al-Duadmi and Afif, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Riyadh city and 400 kilometers (250 miles) west of Riyadh city, respectively.
Saudi Arabia built its pipeline in the 1980s amid fears that the Iran-Iraq war would cut off shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The 1,200-kilometer (746-mile) pipeline is actually two pipes that have a total capacity of 4.8 million barrels of crude oil a day, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The four oil tankers that were targeted Sunday off the coast of the UAEs port of Fujairah were allegedly damaged in what Gulf officials described as sabotage, although satellite images obtained today by the AP showed no visible damage to the vessels.
The MT Andrea Victory, one of the alleged targets, sustained a hole in its hull just above its waterline from an unknown object, its owner Thome Ship Management said in a statement. Images Monday of the Norwegian-flagged Andrea Victory, which the company said was not in any danger of sinking, showed damage similar to what the firm described.
