HOUTHI TV CLAIMS DRONE ATTACK
Houthi-run Masirah TV earlier said the group had carried out drone attacks on "vital" Saudi installations in response to "continued aggression and blockade" on Yemen.
A Saudi-led coalition has been battling the Houthis for four years in Yemen to try to restore the internationally recognised government in a conflict widely seen as a Saudi-Iran proxy war.
The Houthis have repeatedly hit Saudi cities with drones and missiles, but two Saudi sources told Reuters this was the first time a facility of the state-run Aramco had been attacked by drones.
Aramco said it had temporarily shut down the East-West pipeline, known as Petroline, to evaluate its condition. The pipeline mainly transports crude from the kingdom's eastern fields to the port of Yanbu, which lies north of Bab al-Mandeb.
The energy minister of Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, said the latest attacks caused a fire, now contained, and minor damage at one pump station, but did not disrupt oil output or exports of crude and petroleum products.
Oil prices rose on news of the attack on the Saudi pumping stations, more than 200 miles (320 km) west of the capital Riyadh. Brent was trading at $71.37 a barrel by 1715 GMT, up 1.62%.
Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih, in comments run by state media, said global oil supplies were threatened by the drone attack and Sunday's sabotage of four vessels, including two Saudi tankers, off Fujairah emirate, a major bunkering hub near the Strait of Hormuz.
A fifth of global oil consumption passes through the strait from Middle East crude producers to much of the world.
"These attacks prove again that it is important for us to face terrorist entities, including the Houthi militias in Yemen that are backed by Iran," Falih said in an English-language statement issued by his ministry.
A UAE official told Reuters the UAE was working with local and international partners from the United States, France, Norway, and Saudi Arabia to "fully investigate the incident and to identify the people or entities responsible."
The UAE has not blamed anyone for what it called sabotage on the vessels, which include a Norwegian-registered oil products tanker. France has a naval base in Abu Dhabi.
A senior European diplomat voiced skepticism that Trump's "maximum pressure" strategy would force Iran to capitulate.
"Iran is not falling to its knees," said the diplomat on condition of anonymity, saying Iran could resume its nuclear work and leave Washington with no option but military action.
"Does Trump want to go to war with Iran especially during an election campaign year?" he asked.
