Iraq has closed some border crossings with Iran while investigating drone attacks on Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline that it confirms were launched from its territory. The Iraqi government temporarily closed three of its crossings into Iran after drone launch sites were discovered in the country, an Iraqi security source told Al Jazeera on Saturday. Reporting from Baghdad, Al Jazeera’s Jack Hewson listed the closed crossings as: Shalamcheh in Basra province, al-Shib in Maysan province, and Mandali in the province of Diyala.
Hewson said that Iraq had primarily ordered the closure of the crossings over fears that the perpetrators of attacks could flee to Iran. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meanwhile approved a request by Iran to conduct a joint investigation into the discovery of drone launch platforms near the border, according to a statement on Saturday by Sabah al-Numan, spokesman for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armed forces. The statement did not provide further details regarding where the drones were found or how many there were.
However, earlier, the prime minister’s office said the attack was launched from the southeastern province of Maysan, and al-Zaidi dismissed the military commander there. The Iraqi security source told Al Jazeera that a search operation was currently under way in the al-Tayyib area of Maysan after drone launchers were discovered there. The attack on the East-West oil pipeline took place on Thursday, with Saudi Arabia announcing it was temporarily suspending the route as a “precautionary measure” the following day.
On Friday, Riyadh said the drones were launched from Iraq, where Iran commands significant influence, including over armed groups. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), an umbrella group of Iran-backed armed fighters, said in a statement that the attack was “an honour that we do not claim”.
However, Riyadh has previously accused Iran-linked groups in Iraq of targeting its oil infrastructure. United States President Donald Trump, who is currently in Ireland on an unofficial visit, said Tehran was “probably” behind the attacks on the pipeline. Trump did not provide any evidence to support those allegations.
The temporary suspension of the pipeline is a significant blow to Saudi Arabia. The route was Riyadh’s only major alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, which remains partially closed as the US and Iran wrestle for control of the strategic waterway. Without the pipeline, Riyadh has no feasible way to export its oil on a significant scale until the suspension is lifted or Hormuz is officially reopened.
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