#UPDATE Drone attacks claimed by Iran-aligned Yemen rebels shut down one of Saudi Arabia's main oil pipelines on Tuesday, further ratcheting up Gulf tensions after the mysterious sabotage of several tankers. https://t.co/HSONKLV5B7 pic.twitter.com/zaosS9V3sm
— AFP news agency (@AFP) May 14, 2019
Iran really doesn’t want to tempt us.
Via Daily Mail:
Two pumping stations on a major Saudi oil pipeline have today been attacked by explosive-laden drones, halting the flow of crude along it – just two days after the sabotage of four tankers off the UAE coast.
Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said attacks on the pipeline from the oil-rich Eastern Province to the Red Sea took place early this morning and called it ‘an act of terrorism’ that targeted global oil supplies.
Oil infrastructure sites belonging to the country’s state-run oil company Aramco were targeted with a fire breaking out at a station along the pipeline.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who are battling a Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen, had earlier claimed to have targeted several vital Saudi targets with drones and later said it was meant to send a message to the kingdom to ‘stop your aggression’ on their country. It was not immediately clear if they were also claiming responsibility for Sunday’s ship sabotaging incident near Fujairah emirate.
The development threatens to further escalate tensions in the region after the Pentagon claimed Tehran had used explosives to blow holes in the four commercial ships.
The US has deployed B-52 bombers and an assault ship to bolster an aircraft carrier in the region. Meanwhile, the White House is reportedly planning to deploy 120,000 troops to the Middle East if Iran attacks American forces in an alarming echo of the Iraq War.
Asked about the damage, which one tanker association suggested was caused by a ‘weapon,’ US President Donald Trump warned that Tehran would ‘suffer greatly’ if it enraged Washington, predicting a ‘bad problem for Iran if something happens.’