Satellite images show fire-scarred pumping stations after drone strike shuts Saudi Arabia's key oil pipeline

Satellite images released Sunday show blackened ground, charred structures, and extensive fire damage at pumping stations along Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline — the visual confirmation of a drone attack that has forced the kingdom to shut its most critical remaining oil export artery.

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy confirmed Friday that the roughly 750-mile pipeline, known as the Petroline, had been struck by multiple drones on Thursday and "was shut down as a precautionary measure." The Ministry of Foreign Affairs identified the drones as having come from Iraq, targeting sections of the pipeline in the Riyadh and Madinah regions, and said the strikes resulted in injuries and damage "currently being addressed."

The Iraqi government condemns the attacks that targeted the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and affirms its rejection of any attack that undermines the Kingdom's security and stability or harms the deep-rooted fraternal relations between the two countries.— Iraqi government statement, carried by state-run news agency INA

The images, released by Vantor and published via Getty Images, show a bird's-eye view of a pumping station with extensive blackened areas in and around the facility. A separate satellite image taken Thursday, before the shutdown, showed a small fire sending up plumes of thick black smoke at a different pumping station, according to CNN. On Thursday, satellite data picked up nine large fires in the vicinity of the pipeline, though flare pits — where oil and gas can be burned off in an emergency — appeared to account for at least six of them.

Stretching from Abqaiq on the kingdom's eastern Gulf coast to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, the pipeline can handle up to 7 million barrels per day after recent expansions, according to CNBC. It has become indispensable to Saudi Arabia since the outbreak of the US-Iran war, as the kingdom rerouted roughly 5 million barrels per day through it — oil that would otherwise have traveled through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively shuttered. Experts have warned that the closure could cut oil supplies significantly.

The timing compounds an already severe squeeze on Saudi export options. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi fighters have simultaneously launched a ground offensive aimed at controlling the Bab al-Mandeb Strait — the chokepoint at the southern end of the Red Sea through which Yanbu's oil exports would need to pass. The Houthis have declared they will target Saudi ships attempting to transit the strait, meaning the kingdom's oil could face blockage at both ends of its remaining export route.

According to sources cited by CNN, Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman traveled to Washington in late July to meet with President Trump and Vice President Vance, cautioning that Iran would pursue leverage through escalation and would deploy its proxies — militias in Iraq and the Houthis — to achieve that end. Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran program senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that Iran-allied militia groups in Iraq have a history of launching drone attacks against Saudi Arabia and may have struck again as part of a wider Iranian effort to press Arab nations into turning away American forces from the region.

I think they are, probably they are.— Donald Trump, US President, when asked whether Iran was likely behind the attack

Trump, speaking to journalists in Dublin during a visit to Ireland, added that everything would "work out fine" when asked whether the US could help move marine traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The State Department, the White House, and US Central Command did not respond to or declined requests for comment, according to CNN.

Iraq moved quickly to distance itself from the attack. Its government condemned the strikes, ordered an urgent investigation, and said it would not allow its territory or airspace to be used for attacks against Saudi Arabia. On Saturday, Iraqi security authorities announced that several of the country's borders had been closed as a precautionary step in the wake of recent developments.

Oil markets have responded sharply. Monday morning, international benchmark Brent crude futures climbed 3.3% to $108.02 per barrel, adding to gains after surging more than 20% over the prior month, according to CNBC. US West Texas Intermediate futures traded nearly 3% higher at $102.98, up nearly 25% over the past month and having surpassed $100 for the first time since May the previous week. CNN reported that oil prices pushed above $100 a barrel this week amid volatile swings tied to developments in the Middle East.

US officials and experts said repairing pump stations would be less burdensome than repairing major damage to the pipeline itself, though it was not immediately clear how long repairs would take. The attack also comes as Saudi Arabia reported to OPEC that its crude oil production plunged last month to its lowest levels since 1990. A request for comment sent to Saudi oil giant Aramco went unanswered.

Why it matters — With the Strait of Hormuz closed by Iran and the Bab al-Mandeb now threatened by Houthis, the East-West pipeline was Saudi Arabia's last clear path to export its oil — its shutdown simultaneously squeezes the kingdom's revenues and pushes global oil prices higher, affecting energy costs worldwide.

Reported by cnbc.com, cnn.com