Iraq Govt scrambles as militia attack shuts Saudi pipeline

Iraq’s Government was racing on Saturday to contain the fallout after local Iran-backed militias were accused of attacking and shuttering a key Saudi pipeline. 

Though an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias in Iraq denied their involvement, Iraq’s Government confirmed the attacks had originated from its territory. The Government pledged to investigate and dismissed a military commander. The country is under mounting pressure to prevent local militias from aiding other Iran proxy groups across the region. The Iraqi Government has set a Sept. 30 deadline for nonstate groups to disarm, but several of the most powerful militias have said they will not comply.

Pressure to disarm the militias is especially acute as the Iran-backed Houthi rebels make an advance across Yemen’s west coast in a major setback to the Saudi-backed coalition that risks escalating the war in the region. The Houthis on Friday seized an island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping lane through which around 12 per cent of global trade passes.

Their virtual control of the strait could send global oil prices - already inflated by the six-month Iran-US war - spiralling. The strait has become a vital commercial lane for Saudi oil ever since the Iran war disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Asked about the region Saturday while speaking to reporters in Dublin, US President Donald Trump said Iran was “probably” responsible for the pipeline attack, but tried to calm concerns.

He said his administration has “had discussions” with the Houthis, though he did not specify to which talks he was referring. “The Houthis called us, and they don’t want to fight with us,” Trump said. “They would much prefer not having us involved, and they’re letting most ships go through.”

Iraq to probe attack on Saudi pipeline

A group of Iran-backed militias in Iraq denied they were responsible for the attacks on the east-west Saudi oil pipeline in a statement Saturday, while praising the Houthis for their “ongoing battlefield victories against Saudi forces.”  The group said it would cooperate with the Iraqi Government’s investigation. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said earlier Saturday that he’d ordered an investigation into the operations command of Maysan province, along the border with Iran, and dismissed the province’s commander.

Saudi Arabia shut down the major, cross-country oil pipeline on Friday, saying it was a “precautionary measure” after the pipeline came under drone attack. It blamed the attacks on several drones that came from Iraq, but said the kingdom would not retaliate, to give the Iraqi Government “an opportunity to take the necessary measures.” Several Arab countries on Saturday, including Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Egypt, condemned the attack, according to the Saudi state news agency. Built in the 1980s, the East-West pipeline has played an important role in Saudi Arabia’s ability to export oil following the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran war.

By early June, Saudi Arabia had more than doubled oil exports from the Red Sea port at the pipeline’s end to more than 5 million barrels per day, according to the International Energy Agency. Tehran-backed Iraqi militias have carried out strikes on US-linked targets both inside and outside of Iraq since the US and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, and have coordinated with Yemen’s Houthi rebels to attack Saudi Arabia.

Iran closes border crossings with Iran

In a move possibly linked to the investigation, Iraq closed two key border crossings with Iran, Iraq’s state-run news agency reported on Saturday. The report said that Iraqi officials were at the border, investigating previous “violations and infractions” at the crossings.

Valiollah Hayati, the deputy governor of Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province, named the closed crossings as Shalamcheh and Chazabeh. They are among the main official border crossings between Iran and Iraq.

Iranian state media said the measure would halt all passenger and commercial traffic through the two crossings until further notice.