Saudi Arabia condemns attack on pipeline launched from Iraq

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said on Friday that a drone attack on its East-West Pipeline was launched from Iraq, causing injuries and damage.

In a statement, the ministry condemned the attack, noting that at the request of the Iraqi prime minister, the kingdom had refrained from responding at this stage.

The move was intended to give the Iraqi government an opportunity to take necessary measures to prevent attacks launched from Iraqi territory against Saudi Arabia, the ministry said.

Iraq welcomed Saudi Arabia's decision to hold off on retaliation, condemned any attack threatening Saudi security, and said it had ordered an investigation into those responsible, according to a statement from its armed forces.

In another statement released earlier in the day, the Saudi Ministry of Energy said that the East-West Pipeline was shut down as a precautionary measure after the project was subjected to multiple attacks a day earlier.

The statement said the attack in the country's central Riyadh region and western Medina region resulted in a number of injuries.

Emergency and technical teams responded immediately, securing the pipeline and assessing its safety in coordination with relevant authorities, the ministry added.

Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in the East-West Pipeline, which carries crude oil from its eastern fields to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.

On Friday evening local time, Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armed forces issued a statement, condemning the attack on Saudi Arabia and opposing any act that endangers Saudi security and stability or harms the brotherly relations between the two countries.

The statement said that Iraqi Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces Ali al-Zaidi has ordered an urgent investigation into the circumstances of the attack and the parties responsible, and vowed to hold those involved accountable in accordance with the law.

He also stressed that the Iraqi government will not tolerate any activity that endangers Iraq's own security or its relations with friendly countries.

The statement also emphasised that the Iraqi territory and airspace will not be used as a launchpad to attack any country, and that Iraq will cooperate with regional countries to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

In the early hours of Saturday local time, Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armed forces, said in a statement that, given that it has been confirmed that the earlier attack on Saudi Arabia was launched from a location in Iraq's Maysan province, al-Zaidi has ordered the formation of an investigation committee for the Maysan operations command and the dismissal of the province's military commander