Iraqi PM Dismisses Commander Following Saudi Pipeline Attack Claim

By Staff, Agencies

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Friday ordered the formation of an investigative council and dismissed the commander of military operations in Maysan province after Saudi Arabia claimed that drones striking its East-West pipeline had been launched from the Iraqi province, according to the Iraqi News Agency.

Al-Zaidi also ordered an urgent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attack and the parties responsible.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief spokesperson Sabah al-Numan said Baghdad condemns the attack and rejects any aggression threatening Saudi security or harming relations between the two countries.

He stressed that Iraqi territory and airspace would not be used as a launching pad for aggression, while the government reaffirmed its policy of respecting state sovereignty and rejecting aggression against states.

Amid the diplomatic fallout, three senior Iraqi security officials traveled to several Gulf states, including Kuwait, according to Iraqi sources.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry claimed that several drones launched from Iraqi territory struck the East-West pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions on Thursday, wounding several people and prompting a precautionary shutdown of the line.

The Saudi ministry condemned the attack and said it reserved the right to take measures to protect its sovereignty. However, Riyadh said it would refrain from retaliation for now at the Iraqi prime minister’s request, giving Baghdad time to prevent further attacks from its territory. Iraq welcomed the decision.

The East-West pipeline, also known as Petroline, can transport up to 7 million barrels of crude daily across roughly 1,200 kilometers, connecting Abqaiq in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province to the Red Sea export terminal at Yanbu.

Since the start of the US war on Iran, Riyadh has relied more heavily on the pipeline to route oil exports around the Strait of Hormuz. However, the alleged launch point of the drones has not been independently verified beyond Saudi Arabia’s attribution.