Emergency in Saudi Oil Transport: Iran's 'Axis of Resistance' Launches Three-Pronged Offensive on Straits and Overland Routes

 
Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, stands at a crossroads as its oil transport network is shaken consecutively, raising the specter of a Middle East energy crisis.

While Saudi Arabia has been operating alternative transport routes to bypass Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, it now faces a triple squeeze following relentless offensives by Houthi rebels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting to the Red Sea, alongside attacks on its crucial East-West overland oil pipeline.

International crude oil prices spiked to USD 110 per barrel at one point, fueling market anxiety.

According to Reuters on the 11th local time, drone attacks targeting the Saudi regions of Riyadh and Medina occurred the previous day, leading to the suspension of operations for the key East-West pipeline on that day.

The East-West pipeline is an approximately 1,200-kilometer-long oil pipeline crossing the Arabian Peninsula to the Red Sea port of Yanbu.

After Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia had been rerouting about 5 million barrels of crude oil per day through this path.

This volume accounts for 4 to 5 percent of global crude oil supplies.

It was confirmed that the drones used in this attack were launched from Iraq.

The Iraqi Prime Minister's Office announced past midnight on the 12th that it confirmed the drones were launched from its territory, adding that one military commander has been dismissed in connection with the incident.

Iraq also closed the Shalamcheh border checkpoint near the border with Iran and launched operations to track down the perpetrators behind the attack.

Maysan Governorate in southern Iraq, where the dismissed commander had overseen operations, borders Iran and is considered a major stronghold for pro-Iranian Shia factions.

The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that, at the request of the Iraqi government, it has decided not to resort to retaliation for now.

However, Saudi oil exports are expected to face even more serious disruptions due to this situation.

According to maritime intelligence firm Kpler, Saudi crude oil exports dropped to just 3.2 million barrels per day last month, already hitting a 13-year low.

This is less than half the pre-war daily export volume of 7 million barrels.

With the East-West pipeline now also blocked, Saudi Arabia's capacity to export crude oil is inevitably constrained further.

In particular, this attack occurred as the Houthi rebels in Yemen, a core component of Iran's "Axis of Resistance," rapidly seized key strategic points in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance of the Red Sea.

According to AP and AFP reports, the Houthis reportedly captured Perim Island, a strategic stronghold in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, on the 11th, just a day after seizing Mokha, a major port on the Red Sea coast.

Perim Island, also known as Mayun Island, sits in the middle of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and serves as a strategic base dividing the waterway.

Citing a Yemeni government official, AFP reported that the Houthis have effectively secured control over the Yemeni side of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait area.

If the Houthis gain complete control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Saudi Arabia will find its oil transport routes blocked both to the east via the Strait of Hormuz and to the west toward the Red Sea.

For Iran as well, the Houthis' capture of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait holds significant strategic meaning.

This is because a reduction in oil transport through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait would drive up international oil prices, thereby exerting pressure on the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Reports have also emerged that Iran directly commanded operations during the process in which the pro-Iranian Houthi rebels in Yemen seized key areas of the Red Sea.

Citing Yemeni government and Iranian sources, Reuters reported that the Houthi rebels received direct commands from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps during their advance toward Mokha on the 10th.

However, while referring to the Houthis as an "allied force," Iran denies that they are a "proxy force."

Depending on the future course of the war, the conflict could potentially escalate further across the Middle East, drawing in not only the United States and Iran, but also Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.