Page 4 - Saudi Arabia

Oil prices fall as Saudi crude cargoes ease fears of supply disruption

Brent crude fell 1.2 per cent to $104.59 a barrel, while WTI dropped 1.1 per cent to $101.29 as concerns over Middle East supply eased

Saudi calls attempted Mecca attack a 'red line', Houthis deny any role

Saudi Arabia accused Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels overnight of trying to attack Islam's holiest city, prompting condemnation from countries in the region but no sign of military support. The kingdom, a key US ally, declared Mecca a "red line" as it slid deeper into the new front of the Iran war. With the world's biggest oil exporter under fire from the rebels backed by the Saudis' regional adversary, Tehran, the kingdom needs a safe outlet for its crude as well as military support. However, a path to either one remains unclear. A crucial Saudi pipeline has reportedly been shut down for weeks as the Yemen-based Houthis have been attacking infrastructure in the kingdom as well as its shipping on the Red Sea. Iran is still targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices remain above USD 100 a barrel. The Houthis denied firing drones toward Mecca, about 1,100 kilometres from Yemen's border. The Saudis said they intercepted and destroyed the drone before it entered the airspace

Saudi Arabia says it shot down Houthi drone near Mecca, Houthis deny claim

Riyadh says the drone was intercepted south of Mecca before entering restricted airspace, while the Houthis deny targeting the holy city as fighting with Saudi-backed forces intensifies

Saudi cancels some oil cargoes after pipeline hit, Poland seeks alternative

Supply disruption ​supported oil prices, with Brent oil futures trading near $108 a barrel and cargo prices in Europe's physical market even higher, with key benchmark dated Brent at $122 per barrel

US energy chief says Saudi's oil pipeline should be back online within days

The 1,200-km (745-mile) East-West Pipeline running across the Arabian Peninsula has served as the main route for global supplies of Middle Eastern oil for ‌the past six months

Houthi strikes on Saudi threaten Bab-el-Mandeb navigation, security: India

The Iran-backed Houthi militant group had attacked Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline, which is considered very crucial for the supply of crude oil.

Saudi Arabia warns of 'potential danger' in Mecca, Taif and Jeddah

Saudi civil defence briefly issued danger alerts for Mecca, Taif and Jeddah amid the escalation with Yemen's Houthis

Saudi Arabia unveils 110-mn-tonne rare earth, uranium find as US ties grow

The discovery comes as Riyadh races to develop domestic critical minerals and a civilian nuclear energy programme, while seeking to build a broader value chain around uranium and rare earth elements

Saudi Arabia faces 'worst-case scenario' after being rebuffed by Trump

The kingdom is in a state of strategic shock after coming under attack from an emboldened Iran and failing to win more US military support, analysts say

What closure of Saudi's East-West pipeline means for global oil supplies

Saudi Arabia's closure of a major oil pipeline after a recent attack is raising fears that global energy markets in crisis because of the war with Iran could face even starker shortages, pushing prices higher for fuel and other essentials. The largest oil producer in the Middle East closed its East-West pipeline on Friday after the attack, which it blamed on drones from Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. Two regional officials told The Associated Press that repairs could take three to five weeks. The pipeline is crucial to getting some crude out of the Middle East by shipping it to the Red Sea rather than through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply passed before the US and Israel attacked Iran in February. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have seized islands along key Red Sea shipping routes, further threatening Saudi exports. And while several limited alternatives remain, including trickles of tanker traffic in Hormuz, ..

Iran-backed Houthi rebels seize 2 strategic islands for shipping in Red Sea

Yemen's Houthi rebels have seized the strategic islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish in the southern Red Sea, bolstering the Iran-backed rebels' ability to control a key maritime shipping route. Meanwhile, repairs to a crucial Saudi Arabian oil pipeline that was struck in an attack last week could last three to five weeks, putting it mostly out of service, two regional officials said. Here's a look at the latest news in the Middle East. Full coverage can be found here. Houthis gain ground as oil prices face more pressure --------------------------------------------------------- Houthi officials said Monday that rebels had taken over the two islands just as Saudi-backed government forces tried to claw back territory from the rebels' swift advances around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz -- through which a fifth of the world's traded oil and gas transits in peacetime -- in the opening days

Saudi Arabia's pipeline closure raises cost of India's crude haul

Closure of Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline could constrain routing options for Indian refiners and raise landed crude costs as key transit routes face disruptions

Gulf states cancel Iran talks; Houthis attack Saudi Arabia again

Gulf states postponed talks with Iran on reopening the Strait of Hormuz as the Houthis attacked a Saudi airbase and Tehran sanctioned 77 ships over alleged protocol violations

Saudi Arabia pipeline outage threatens loss of 4% of global oil supply

Saudi Arabia has enough oil stocks at key ports to sustain exports for only a few days, raising the risk of a major supply loss if its East-West Pipeline does not restart soon

Iraq says attack on Saudi Arabia's pipeline originated from its territory

Iraq said attacks on a key Saudi oil pipeline were launched from its territory, as US President Donald Trump appeared to blame Iran. Meanwhile, the number of displaced people in Yemen is rising quickly after a swift advance by Iran-backed Houthi rebels threatens a key alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandeb. And Lebanon and Israel will hold new direct talks next month. Here's a look at the latest news in the Middle East. Iraq dismisses commander over Saudi pipeline attacks ----------------------------------------------------------- Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigation into the operations command in Maysan province, which borders Iran, and dismissed its commander after authorities determined that the attacks on the Saudi pipeline were launched from the province, the government said. The Saudi Foreign Ministry blamed the attacks on drones that came from Iraq and said the kingdom would not retaliate to give the Iraqi government "an opportunity to take

Trump says Iran probably responsible for attack on Saudi pipeline

The US ​president also said that he had spoken with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom he ‌described as a "good friend"

Saudi Arabia has few options amid mounting threats from Iran, its allies

A lightning advance by Houthi rebels threatens a crucial Red Sea shipping route. Drone attacks blamed on Iraqi militias have forced the closure of a major pipeline, and Iran is still disrupting the Strait of Hormuz. It's a nightmare scenario for Saudi Arabia, and it has sent jitters through global markets. The Saudis' most essential ally, the United States, has been unpredictable and sometimes unreliable. US President Donald Trump seems reluctant to widen an already unpopular and stalemated Mideast war ahead of congressional elections. For Iran, the rebels' advance and closure of the pipeline ramp up global economic pressure as its grip over the Strait of Hormuz has been loosened. Michael Ratney, a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said the latest developments are "incredibly frustrating" for the kingdom. "Despite their antipathy for the Iranians, this is a war they had never asked for, they had great trepidation about. And once it started, all of their worst-case scenarios .

Saudi suspends key oil pipeline, only route bypassing Hormuz after attacks

The 1,200-km pipeline, which carries up to 5 million barrels per day, helps Riyadh bypass the Strait of Hormuz, where tanker traffic has slowed sharply amid the US-Iran war

Saudi Arabia airstrikes hit Houthi rebels-held Mokha airport in Yemen

Saudi airstrikes hit the rebel-held Mokha airport in Yemen on Friday, an Iranian-backed Houthi broadcaster reported, a day after the Houthis entered the key port city on the Red Sea, bringing them closer to the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Their advance further threatens commercial shipping on an important alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier Friday, Iran's government called for an end to Saudi Arabia's blockade of Yemen, throwing its support behind its ally, the Houthis. In its first statement since the rebels entered the port, Iran's Foreign Ministry also called for a return to negotiations between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis. The rebels' capture of Mokha, overlooking tanker routes out of the Red Sea, could boost Iran's strategy of driving up world oil and gas prices to pressure the United States, experts say. It also raises concerns of a new front opening after more than six months of war in the region -- one in which Saudi Arabia is forced to respond. Experts say th

Iran seeks end to Saudi blockade of Yemen after Houthi rebels take key port

Iran's government on Friday called for an end to Saudi Arabia's blockade of Yemen and the immediate resumption of talks, in its first public statement since Iran-backed Houthi rebels entered a key Yemeni port and intensified their threat to a key global shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency, Iran's foreign ministry said Yemen's sovereignty must be respected and its problems cannot be resolved through a blockade or military alliances. Iran also said it was ready to help support negotiations. Meanwhile, experts say the developments in Yemen could give Tehran more leverage in any negotiations with the United States after over six months of war. Events threaten a key Strait of Hormuz alternative ------------------------------------------------------ The Houthis' entry into the Red Sea port of Mokha on Thursday brings them within 80 kilometres of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, an important alternative for global shipping as Ir