A small armed network allegedly operating directly under a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander carried out a drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline, according to three commanders from Iran-backed Iraqi armed factions. The commanders told The New Region that three major Shiite factions operating under the banner of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq were not involved in Thursday’s attack, despite initial suspicions that the groups could have been responsible. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday that several drones launched from Iraqi territory had targeted the East-West Pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions, causing injuries and limited material damage.
Riyadh said that, following a request from Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, Baghdad would be given an opportunity “to take measures to prevent attacks launched from Iraqi territory against the Kingdom and neighbouring countries”. Zaidi subsequently ordered an urgent investigation into the launch site and those responsible for the attack. Investigators determined within hours that the drones had been launched from the al-Tayeb border area, around 75 kilometres east of Amarah in Iraq’s southeastern Maysan province, according to Iraqi authorities.
The discovery prompted a major security response in Maysan. Zaidi dismissed the province’s operations and police commanders and transferred the heads of its security agencies to their headquarters pending an investigation into what he described as “security breaches that occurred in the province”. Iraq also ordered the closure of the Shib and Shalamcheh border crossings with Iran.
The Mandali border crossing was also closed, according to Iraq’s Border Ports Authority. Iraqi authorities said on Sunday that the border would be fully reopened by Thursday. The attack initially drew suspicion towards factions of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which had threatened to target Saudi Arabia last month in retaliation for US-Saudi airstrikes on Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) positions across seven Iraqi provinces.
The strikes in late July reportedly killed and wounded dozens of people. The Islamic Resistance denied responsibility on Saturday, saying that attacks on vital Saudi facilities were “an honour we do not claim”. The groups also offered to participate in any government investigation into the incident.
The Iraqi government has not publicly identified those responsible for the attack. However, three commanders from Iran-backed Iraqi armed factions told The New Region that the operation was carried out by a separate armed network allegedly linked to a senior IRGC officer. According to the commanders, the network was established around seven months ago and operates independently of Iraq’s established Iran-backed armed factions.
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