RTMon, 16 Sep 2019 15:47 UTC
© REUTERS / Stringer/ Hamad I Mohammed
Riyadh has reportedly shut down a pipeline to Bahrain after drones targeted two key Saudi Aramco oil plants on Saturday. The closure comes amid supply shortage fears as the kingdom struggles to restore the facilities.
The drone raid, claimed by the Houthi rebels, affected mainly light crude grades resulting in the shutdown of the pipeline from which Bahrain's Bapco receives oil from state oil giant Aramco, Reuters reported citing two trade sources.
The pipeline carries 220,000-230,000 barrels per day (bpd) and transfers Arab Light crude.Now the Bahraini company is looking for other ways to get about 2 million barrels of Saudi crude and may use vessels for transportation.
It is unclear when the country will be able to bring in Saudi oil.Saudi Arabia, the world's top world crude exporter,
had to close two facilities at Abqaiq and Khurais after the weekend attack halved the kingdom's daily oil output and reduced global production by 5 percent. The Abqaiq oil refinery is one of the most important facilities in the world for crude supply.
On Sunday, the US said that it is ready to deploy its emergency reserves to offset possible shortages. Analysts predict that if disruption to production lasts for too long, oil prices will spike.
Comment: Predictably, the Saudis
claim that 'preliminary findings' suggest Iranian-made weapons were used, which did not originate in Yemen:
Speaking at a press conference in Riyadh on Monday, coalition spokesman Col. Turki al-Malki said the investigation was still ongoing, and that investigators were presently looking to figure out "from where" the missiles used in the strikes "were fired."
According to the officer, the drones were not launched from Yemen, as claimed by the Houthis.
"The investigation is continuing and all indications are that weapons used in both attacks came from Iran," al-Maliki said.
Al-Maliki promised that the military would present the results of its investigation to the media when it was completed.
The Houthis, a rag-tag Yemeni militia against which Saudi Arabia and a coalition of mostly Gulf states has been waging war since 2015, claimed responsibility for the Saturday attacks, saying they used ten drones to strike the facilities following careful preparations, and warning that they would make further surprise attacks until Riyadh ended its "aggression and blockade of Yemen."
On Monday, amid US claims that Iran was responsible for the attacks, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthis' Supreme Political Council, told Iranian media that attempts to blame the Houthis' strikes on other countries was an act of "cowardice."
It's much easier to blame Iran than to admit that the "rag-tag" Houthis have the capability to evade American-made air defenses and cripple Saudi oil capabilities. China has
cautioned against making premature accusations (but when has that ever stopped the U.S. and their allies?):
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying urged against jumping to conclusions over the attack, which hit the world's biggest oil-processing facility, stressing that a needless escalation in the region should be avoided.
"Pondering who is to blame in the absence of a conclusive investigation, I think, is in itself not very responsible. China's position is that we oppose any moves that expand or intensify conflict," Hua said on Monday during a press briefing.
She implored all parties concerned to "restrain themselves" in order to "safeguard peace and stability" in the Middle East.
Meanwhile oil prices have
skyrocketed 20% in the wake of the attacks.
See previous coverage of the drone attacks here
Comment: Predictably, the Saudis claim that 'preliminary findings' suggest Iranian-made weapons were used, which did not originate in Yemen: It's much easier to blame Iran than to admit that the "rag-tag" Houthis have the capability to evade American-made air defenses and cripple Saudi oil capabilities. China has cautioned against making premature accusations (but when has that ever stopped the U.S. and their allies?): Meanwhile oil prices have skyrocketed 20% in the wake of the attacks.
See previous coverage of the drone attacks here