00:01Saudi Arabia has taken a major defensive step as the Middle East war threatens another critical energy lifeline.
00:09The kingdom has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometer east-west oil pipeline after the vital conduit came under
00:17aerial attack.
00:19The Saudi Energy Ministry says the shutdown is a precautionary measure.
00:23The pipeline has become increasingly important during the war because it allows Saudi Arabia to move crude across the Arabian
00:31Peninsula without relying entirely on tanker routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
00:36But now even that alternative route is under threat.
00:39The attack hits sections of the pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions.
00:44The scale of the pipeline makes the shutdown especially significant.
00:48The east-west line has been carrying an estimated 4 to 5 million barrels of crude per day in recent
00:55months.
00:55That is roughly 4 to 5 percent of global oil supply.
01:00Saudi Arabia built the pipeline to provide an alternative export route to its eastern oil fields,
01:06allowing crude to reach Red Sea terminals without crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
01:10But now even that alternative route is under threat.
01:14Satellite imagery reportedly showed black smoke rising from an area of the pipeline south of Medina.
01:21Responsibility for the pipeline attack remains under investigation.
01:25Saudi Arabia and Iraq said the drone originated in Iraq, where Iranian-backed militias operate.
01:31Baghdad has condemned the attack.
01:34Iraq also dismissed a military commander in response,
01:37with Iraqi authorities saying he had been responsible for operations in Maison province, near the Iranian border.
01:45At the same time, another threat is emerging on Saudi Arabia's western flank.
01:50Iran-aligned Houthi forces are reportedly tightening their grip around the southern Red Sea.
01:56Four Yemeni government sources told Reuters that the Houthis seized the strategic island of Parham at the mouth of the
02:03Red Sea.
02:04Reports also indicate Houthi forces have reached Hanish island and coastal towns including Mocha and Thubab.
02:11The strategic importance of the territory is enormous.
02:15Parham sits near the Bab-el-Mandeb, the narrow maritime gateway connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
02:22Any sustained disruption there could force commercial vessels to reconsider one of the world's most important shipping routes.
02:29Saudi Arabia is now seeking additional military support from Washington as the threat grows.
02:36Sources say Riyadh has asked the United States for help confronting the Houthis.
02:41The request comes at a politically sensitive moment for President Donald Trump.
02:46Higher fuel prices are already creating pressure on American consumers,
02:50and could become an even bigger political issue ahead of the November congressional elections.
02:55Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia faces a difficult choice.
02:59It can retaliate against those behind the pipeline attack, potentially widening the war,
03:05or continue holding back while trying to protect its energy infrastructure.
03:09The latest developments point to a dangerous expansion of the regional energy war.
03:15Saudi Arabia's east-west pipeline was supposed to provide protection against disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
03:21Now, that alternative route has been forced offline.
03:24At the same time, reported Houthi advances around Bab-el-Mandeb threatened the western gateway for Red Sea shipping.
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