Saudi Aramco shut the East-West pipeline on Friday after drones launched from Iraqi territory started fires along the route south of Medina. Satellite imagery shows heavy fire damage at one pumping station. Riyadh's foreign ministry blames Iran-linked armed groups based in Iraq and reports human and material damage. Baghdad confirmed the drones flew from Maysan province and dismissed the province's military commander. Saudi Arabia says it will not retaliate at this stage.
Petroline runs ~1,200km from Abqaiq to Yanbu and has carried ~2.5M bpd since Hormuz closed. No other pipeline moves Eastern Province crude past the strait.
Three exits are shut at once. Hormuz is on Day 197. Petroline is down. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said Friday that Bab el-Mandeb navigation is safe for all shipping except Saudi vessels, which remain under the ban declared last month. Yanbu northbound through Suez and SUMED is what survives, and it reaches Europe only.
Aramco's shutdown reads as precautionary. Petroline pumps through a chain of stations and can move reduced volume with one down, and Aramco restarted within days of a comparable 2019 strike. Restart timing turns on whether the drone threat abates, not on repair work.
Watch: Yanbu loadings against tank stocks, the restart announcement, and Monday's Asia open against Friday's $104.61.