CBC News
· collected 2026-09-12 · by Julia Frankel, Qassim Abdul-Zahra
Story summary
On September 12, drones launched from Iraq attacked the East-West crude oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia, shutting it down temporarily. The pipeline, spanning 745 miles, is a crucial alternative route for Saudi oil exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, which handles about 20% of global oil shipments. The incident caused injuries and material damage, though no immediate retaliation was announced by Saudi Arabia due to diplomatic pressure from Iraq's Prime Minister.
The Iraqi government dismissed a military commander in Maysan province near the border with Iran as part of their investigation into the attack. This event escalates tensions amid ongoing conflicts between Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi forces in Yemen, where the Houthis recently seized an island in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, through which 12% of global trade passes.
US President Donald Trump speculated that Iran was likely behind the drone attacks on the pipeline. The attack highlights growing concerns over security threats to critical infrastructure within the region and their potential impact on global energy prices and supply chains.
Written for “Iraq Saudi Pipeline Attacks” on 2026-09-12,
grounded in this article and the 147 other(s) covering the same event.
Iraq scrambles to address fallout from alleged militia attack on Saudi oil pipeline
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Iraq → scramble → pipeline
Iran-backed militias deny involvement in strike
Iraq's government was racing Saturday to contain the fallout after local Iran-backed militias were accused of attacking and shuttering a key Saudi pipeline.
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militias → back → 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.
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attacks → back → territory
The government pledged to investigate and dismissed a military commander.
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government → pledge → commander
The country is under mounting pressure to prevent local militias from aiding other Iran proxy groups across the region.
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country → mount → region
The Iraqi government has set a Sept. 30 deadline for non-state groups to disarm, but several of the most powerful militias have said they will not comply.
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they → set → militias
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.
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that → disarm → region
The Houthis on Friday seized an island in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key shipping lane through which about 12 per cent of global trade passes.
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cent → seize → passes
Their virtual control of the strait could send global oil prices — already inflated by the six-month Iran-U.S. war — spiralling.
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prices → send → war
The strait has become a vital commercial lane for Saudi oil ever since the Iran war disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
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war → become → Hormuz
Asked about the region on Saturday while speaking to reporters in Dublin, U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran was "probably" responsible for the pipeline attack but tried to calm concerns.
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Iran → ask → concerns
He said his administration has "had discussions" with the Houthis, though he did not specify to which talks he was referring.
"
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he → say → Houthis
The Houthis called us, and they don't want to fight with us," Trump said.
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Trump → call → us
"They would much prefer not having us involved, and they're letting most ships go through."
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ships → prefer → ?
Iraq to investigate attack on Saudi pipeline
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Iraq → investigate → pipeline
A group of Iran-backed militias in Iraq denied in a statement on Saturday that they were responsible for the attacks on the East-West crude oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia, while praising the Houthis for their "ongoing battlefield victories against Saudi forces."
The group said it would co-operate with the Iraqi government's investigation.
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it → back → 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.
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he → say → commander
Saudi Arabia shut down the major, cross-country oil pipeline on Friday, calling it a "precautionary measure" after the pipeline came under drone attack.
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pipeline → shut → 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."
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kingdom → blame → measures
Several Arab countries, including Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Egypt, condemned the attack on Saturday, 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.
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pipeline → include → 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 five million barrels per day, according to the International Energy Agency.
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Arabia → double → Agency
Tehran-backed Iraqi militias have carried out strikes on U.S.-linked targets both inside and outside of Iraq since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, and have co-ordinated with Yemen's Houthi rebels to attack Saudi Arabia.
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U.S. → back → Arabia
Iraq 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 Saturday.
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agency → close → Iran
The report said that Iraqi officials were at the border, investigating previous "violations and infractions" at the crossings.
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officials → say → crossings
Valiollah Hayati, the deputy governor of Iran's southwestern Khuzestan province, named the closed crossings as Shalamcheh and Chazabeh.
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Hayati → name → Shalamcheh
Iranian state media said the measure would halt all passenger and commercial traffic through the two crossings until further notice.
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measure → say → notice
Saudi Arabia and the United States bombed Iranian-backed militias in Iraq in July after blaming them for drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities that had been claimed by the Houthis.
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that → bomb → Houthis
Regional officials told The Associated Press that the Houthis helped the Iraqi militias plan and execute the attacks.
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militias → tell → attacks
Fighting threatens to reignite Yemen’s civil war
The escalating fighting threatens to end a fragile truce that had largely halted Yemen's civil war since 2022.
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that → threaten → 2022
The conflict killed 150,000 and brought many others to the brink of famine.
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conflict → kill → famine
The surge in fighting in the past week has sent more than 46,000 people fleeing, the United Nations migration agency said Friday.
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agency → send → week
The Houthis have been at war with Yemen's government since 2014, when the rebels seized much of northern and central Yemen and the capital, Sanaa.
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rebels → seize → Yemen
Saudi Arabia entered the war the following year on the side of the government.
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Arabia → enter → government
