A drone attack has targeted a vital east-west pipeline in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, marking the latest attack launched at key Gulf infrastructure after the US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire, AFP reports citing The Financial Times.
Saudi Arabia’s Petroline has proven to be a critical economic lifeline during the war, with the 750-mile network of pipes connecting two waterways crucial for global commerce — the Gulf in the east and the Red Sea to the west.
The FT has said a pumping station along the pipeline was hit by a drone in the afternoon, according to sources.
“The damage was being assessed,” it has reported.
Neither the Saudi government nor the state oil giant Aramco — which owns the pipeline — have commented on the alleged strike.
The Petroline is able to pump up to 7 million barrels of crude a day and has proven vital to delivering oil to the international market following the choking off of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran, where roughly 20 per cent of global crude supplies passed before the war.