Saudi shuts major oil pipeline after Houthi drone attacks

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Drone attacks claimed by Iran-aligned Yemen rebels shut down one of Saudi Arabia's major oil pipelines Tuesday, further ratcheting up Gulf tensions after the mysterious sabotage of several tankers.

Washington and Tehran played down tensions after trading barbs as the Americans sent an aircraft carrier group and nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to the region to counter alleged threats from Saudi arch-rival Iran.

"We fundamentally do not seek a war with Iran," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Sochi.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said "this face-off is not military because there is not going to be any war" with the United States.

Saudi Arabia, the world's largest crude exporter and OPEC kingpin, said two pumping stations had been targeted early Tuesday.

A damaged Andrea Victory ship is seen off the Port of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, May 13, 2019. /VCG Photo

They lie on the East West Pipeline, able to pump five million barrels of oil a day from oil-rich Eastern Province to a Red Sea port.

The announcement came hours after Yemen's Houthi rebels said they had targeted vital installations in Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition against them.

Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said Saudi Aramco had "temporarily shut down" the pipeline to "evaluate its condition" but added that oil production and exports had not been interrupted.

Huthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam tweeted that the attacks were "a response to the aggressors continuing to commit genocide" against Yemenis.

In a statement, the Houthis warned of other "unique operations... if the aggressors continue with their crimes and blockade."

"We are capable of executing unique operations on a bigger and wider scale in the hearts of the enemy countries."

'Sabotage attacks'

A. Michel, a UAE tanker is seen off the Port of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, May 13, 2019. /VCG Photo

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intervened in the Yemen war in March 2015 to bolster the internationally recognized government's efforts against the Houthis.

The 1,200-kilometer pipeline reportedly hit Tuesday serves as an alternative for Saudi crude exports if the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Gulf were to be closed.

Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait in case of a military confrontation with the U.S.

The reported pipeline attacks came after the UAE said four ships were damaged in "sabotage attacks" off the emirate of Fujairah, on the mouth of the Hormuz, on Sunday.

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) transits the Suez Canal, May 9, 2019. /VCG Photo

The attacks came after the United States deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group, an amphibious assault vessel, a Patriot missile battery and B-52 bombers, triggering fears of a possible military confrontation.

Trump later denied a New York Times report that he was considering sending 120,000 troops to counter Iran.

"Now, would I do that? Absolutely. But we have not planned for that," Trump said. "Hopefully we're not going to have to plan for that. If we did that, we'd send a hell of a lot more troops than that."

The international coalition in Iraq and Syria said its troops were not feeling any intensified threat from Iran in the region.

"There has been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria," said Major General Chris Ghika, a British spokesman for the force.

'Exercise restraint'

A port in the Gulf emirate of Fujairah which plays a strategic role in transporting oil to other countries, May 13, 2019. /VCG Photo

A UAE government official said the Saudi oil tankers Al-Marzoqah and Amjad were attacked off the emirate of Fujairah along with the Norwegian tanker Andrea Victory and an Emirati ship, the A. Michel.

No casualties were reported and none of the vessels sank.

An Emirati official said three Western countries, the U.S., France and Norway, would be part of an investigation into the ship attacks along with the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh said its two tankers suffered "significant damage" but there was no oil spill.

The Andrea Victory's managers, Thome Group, said the ship's hull had been pierced "after being struck by an unknown object on the waterline."

The map of Fujairah port. /CGTN Photo

Fujairah port is the only Emirati terminal located on the Arabian Sea coast, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz through which most Gulf oil exports pass.

Iran and the U.S. have engaged in a war of words in recent weeks since Tehran began to roll back commitments set out in a landmark 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Trump withdrew the United States from the deal last year and has unilaterally reimposed tough sanctions on Iran.

(Cover image: Saudi oil tanker Al-Marzoqah, one of the four tankers damaged in alleged "sabotage attacks" in the Gulf, Fujairah, May 13, 2019. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): Reuters