ع
The Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement on September 11 that several drones originating from Iraq targeted the East-West pipeline in the areas of Riyadh and Medina. The attack led to human injuries and material damage that officials are now addressing. In response the ministry expressed the kingdom’s strongest condemnation of the incident.
According to the statement Saudi Arabia decided not to respond at this stage following a direct request from Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi. The Iraqi leader asked for time to enable his government to implement measures preventing further attacks launched from Iraqi territory toward the kingdom and neighboring states. The ministry added that it would support Baghdad’s efforts in this matter.
However the statement emphasized that the kingdom reserves the right to take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty its security its facilities its citizens and its residents. An energy ministry official informed the Saudi Press Agency that the pipeline was halted as a precautionary measure after the strikes. The official confirmed that the attacks had caused some injuries among personnel.
The East-West pipeline which connects the Abqaiq oilfield in Saudi Arabia’s east to the Red Sea port of Yanbu has a full capacity of 7 million barrels per day according to repeated statements from the Ministry of Energy. Saudi Arabia has increased flows through the line to a record 5.9 million barrels per day in recent months as it serves as the country’s primary crude export route amid Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz the International Energy Agency reported. Satellite imagery from September 9 showed black smoke rising from an area along the pipeline south of Medina.
Iraq welcomed the Saudi decision to refrain from retaliation and condemned the attack in a statement issued by armed forces spokesman Sabah Al-Numan. The Iraqi government has ordered a full investigation to identify and hold accountable those responsible for launching the drones. Al-Numan stressed that Iraq rejects any use of its territory for aggression against Saudi Arabia or any brotherly nation.
This incident echoes earlier events in July 2026 when Saudi Arabia reported intercepting multiple drones launched from Iraq that were aimed at oil infrastructure in the Eastern Province and Riyadh. In those cases the defence ministry attributed the attempts to Iran-backed militias and reserved the right to respond appropriately according to statements released at the time. Iraqi officials denied the allegations and launched their own probes into the claimed launches from their territory.
