Saudi Shuts Key Pipeline After Iraqi Drone Attack Near Iran Border...

Saudi Arabia shut its East-West pipeline—which moves 4-5% of global oil supply and bypasses the Strait of Hormuz—after drones launched from Iraq's Maysan province damaged the 1,200-kilometer route. Iraq's government fired the regional operations commander and opened an investigation, acknowledging the attack originated from Iranian-controlled territory. The strike reflects widening Middle East instability as Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, rapidly seized Yemen's Red Sea coast this week, threatening major shipping lanes during an ongoing US-Iran conflict now in its seventh month.