Saudi Arabia has shut down a key oil pipeline after it was struck by drones launched from Iraqi territory, in a sign that the wider Middle East conflict is increasingly threatening global energy supplies. Iraq acknowledged the attack originated in its Maysan province, near the Iranian border, and dismissed the military commander responsible while launching an investigation; Saudi Arabia has previously accused Iran-backed militias in Iraq of targeting its oil infrastructure. The closure matters because the affected route is one of the kingdom's main alternatives to shipping crude through the vulnerable Strait of Hormuz.

The 1,200km East-West pipeline normally carries around 4-5% of global oil supply, and Saudi officials said the strike caused some injuries and damage that is still being assessed, while stressing they had chosen not to retaliate after a call from Iraq's prime minister. The Gulf Co-operation Council condemned the attack as a dangerous escalation. The incident coincides with a rapid advance by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who this week seized the entire Red Sea coast and the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, prompting Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces to strike back around the port city of Mokha, further raising concerns over disruption to global shipping and oil prices.