Iraqi security forces have located and seized a drone-launching platform allegedly used in an attack on Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline, Iraq’s Security Media Cell said. The launch site was traced to Maysan province in southeastern Iraq, near the Iranian border.
The attack injured several people after drones struck the pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions, Saudi authorities said. The pipeline was shut as a precaution, and Saudi Arabia decided not to retaliate for now after a request from Baghdad.
Investigation continues over who launched the drones
Lieutenant General Saad Maan, head of Iraq’s Security Media Cell, said an intelligence and security task force tracked down the launch equipment. Forensic and technical experts were continuing work to identify those responsible, while Iraqi army spokesman Sabah al-Numan said security and intelligence agencies were pursuing operations to arrest everyone involved.
Maan said Iraq’s commander-in-chief had approved an Iranian request to participate in the investigation and review its findings. He described Baghdad’s position as “preventive sovereignty”: preventing attacks on Iraqi territory and stopping Iraqi land from being used against another country or as part of a proxy war.
Maysan security officials face scrutiny
Iraqi authorities identified the likely launch area as the al-Tayeb border district in northeastern Maysan, near the Sheeb crossing east of Amara. The area includes the Duwayrij River and Tayeb Island and is near the Iranian border, where Iran-aligned militias have long maintained a presence.
The Maysan operations commander and the provincial police chief were among officials dismissed after the strike, and a group of security commanders in the province came under investigation, according to reporting on the developments.
Pipeline closure follows strike
The East-West pipeline carries about 4 to 5 percent of global oil supply and gives Saudi Arabia a route that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi authorities shut it as a precaution after the drone strikes in the Riyadh and Medina regions. Read the context: Saudi Arabia counters drone strikes attributed to Iran-backed armed groups.
What happens next
Iraqi forensic and technical experts are continuing to identify those behind the attack, while security and intelligence agencies pursue arrests and Iraqi and Saudi authorities continue sharing intelligence.
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