ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Saudi Arabia said Monday that its air defenses intercepted and destroyed a number of drones "launched from Iraqi territory" toward its oil facilities, blaming Iran-aligned "terrorist militias" for the attempt and urging Baghdad to step up efforts to ensure its territory is not used as a "launchpad for aggression."
"Air defenses intercepted and destroyed a number of drones during the past hours, which attempted to target oil facilities in the Eastern Province and Riyadh," said Major General Turki al-Malki, spokesperson for the Saudi defense ministry.
"These terrorist attempts were launched from Iraqi territory and carried out by terrorist militias affiliated with Iran," Malki said, affirming the kingdom's "inherent right to defend itself and its resources" and its reservation of "the right to respond at the time and place of its choosing."
For its part, the Saudi foreign ministry expressed Riyadh's "condemnation, in the strongest terms, of the reprehensible attacks it was subjected to by drones launched by militias affiliated with Iran in Iraq."
It further affirmed Saudi Arabia's "determination to safeguard its security and sovereignty and deter the aggressors," while urging the Iraqi government to "take all measures required to ensure that its territory is not used as a launchpad for aggression."
Of note, Saudi’s Eastern Province accounts for the overwhelming share of Saudi Arabia’s petroleum wealth, producing roughly 70 to 80 percent of the kingdom’s daily oil output - exceeding seven million barrels per day. Additionally, nearly all of Saudi Arabia’s proven oil reserves - estimated at around 267 billion barrels - are concentrated in this province and its offshore waters.
The Eastern Province is also home to the global headquarters of Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, and serves as a major operational hub for international energy firms such as SLB, Halliburton, and Baker Hughes.
During the six week Iran war, the Saudi defense ministry had reported that its forces have intercepted a total of 188 ballistic missiles and 477 drones launched toward the Kingdom.
Since Iran and the US agreed to a preliminary Pakistan-mediated ceasefire on April 8, the kingdom has seen a drop in attacks on oil-producing regions and industrial hubs.
Notably, Saudi Arabia's remarks on Monday come just days after Abu Ala al-Walai, the leader of a powerful Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group, on Friday welcomed an announcement by the Tehran-aligned Ansarullah Movement in Yemen, better known as the Houthis, that they would impose a blockade on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea.
The Houthis alleged the move was in response to a Saudi blockade on Yemen that they claim has been in place for 12 years - a claim Riyadh has denied.
Nonetheless, Walai stated that "if the doors of life are closed in the face of the Yemenis, it is their right to close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait [in the Red Sea, in the face of Saudi shipping] to let the world hear that they will not die in silence."
"Open the doors of the blockade on Yemen, and the strait will be opened for you; but if you squeeze them, the strait will squeeze you," he said.
Moreover, it comes after the United Arab Emirates had in mid-April delivered a “strongly worded” letter of protest to Omar al-Obaidi, the chargé d'affaires at the Iraqi embassy, over “terrorist attacks” launched from Iraqi territory by Iran-aligned armed groups targeting facilities in Gulf Arab states.
The letter warned that the continuation of such attacks places ties with Baghdad “under highly sensitive strain.”
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