Saudi Arabia has shut down a key oil pipeline after accusing militants based in Iraq of launching drone attacks on it, escalating tensions in a region already destabilised by the recent US-Israeli war against Iran. The 745-mile East-West pipeline, which runs from Abqaiq to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, has become crucial for Riyadh to bypass the blockade of the strait of Hormuz, making the strike a significant threat to global oil supply routes at a time when prices are already climbing.

The Saudi foreign ministry condemned drone strikes on the pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions, which it said caused injuries and damage, while Iraq's government confirmed the attacks originated from its territory and dismissed a regional military commander. Donald Trump said he believed Iran was "probably" responsible, and the disruption comes alongside Houthi forces seizing the island of Perim in the Bab al-Mandab strait, further tightening Iran-aligned control over two vital shipping chokepoints. Oil prices have passed $100 a barrel and US diesel topped $6 a gallon for the first time, while Gulf states, the UK and the Gulf Cooperation Council have condemned the attack as a dangerous escalation.