US President Donald Trump said Iran was “probably” behind the attack from Iraq that shut down Saudi Arabia’s vital oil pipeline.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the East-West Pipeline was attacked by multiple drones from Iraq on Thursday, causing injuries and some damage. The Department of Energy added that the pipeline had been shut down as a precaution.
The news comes amid no end in sight to the Iran war, turmoil in energy markets and massive disruption to shipping, with Tehran’s Houthi allies in Yemen seizing key islands and ports in the Red Sea.
President Trump was asked about the incident by a reporter during a visit to Ireland on Saturday, and he said Iran was most likely behind the attack.
“I think they are, and I think they probably are,” Trump told reporters in Dublin.
At this stage, it remains unclear who was behind the attack. Iraq’s main umbrella group for Iranian-backed militias, known as the Iraqi Islamic Resistance Movement, denies responsibility.
The attack is another headache for Saudi Arabia, which has supported Yemen’s internationally recognized government against the Houthis.
President Trump said he spoke by phone with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and called him a “good friend.”
The Saudi crown prince spoke twice with President Trump on Thursday and urged him to attack the Houthis as Iranian-backed groups advance towards the Red Sea, sources told CNN, but the president refused.
In response to a question about renewed concerns in Saudi Arabia following the pipeline closure and whether he could support maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz in light of the situation, President Trump said everything would be “okay.”
In response to CNN’s questions about the call, the White House said the United States was in contact with Saudi Arabia “focused on protecting our nation’s core national security interests, including ensuring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, while empowering our regional partners to take the lead in managing and solving regional security challenges.”
A statement from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy said the pipeline “suffered multiple attacks” on Thursday, “resulting in numerous injuries.” The statement added that the team is “taking the necessary steps to secure the pipeline and assess its safety.”
Iraq’s government condemned the attack, ordered an urgent investigation into those responsible and said it would not allow its territory or airspace to be used for such purposes.
On Saturday, Iraqi authorities announced that the country had closed many of its borders as a precaution.
The airstrikes and the recent advance by the Houthis along the Red Sea show that Saudi Arabia’s oil wealth and ability to export its resources face increasing threats as the Iran war continues.
Saudi Arabia’s east-west pipeline has been essential for the country to maintain oil exports since the outbreak of the US-Iran war.
With Iran effectively blocking the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia has rerouted about 5 million barrels of oil per day that was scheduled to wait in tankers in the Persian Gulf. Instead, the oil was transported through a pipeline to Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu port on the Red Sea.
This story has been updated with additional information.
