Key facts
- Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy said the East-West pipeline was targeted in the Medina region.
- The ministry said a limited fire broke out and emergency crews extinguished it.
- Authorities reported no casualties and no disruption to pipeline operations, the ministry said.
- The pipeline lets Saudi Arabia export crude via the Red Sea, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
- Al Arabiya, citing unnamed sources, reported a Qatari-Pakistani mediation proposal had revived nuclear talks.
- Neither Washington nor Tehran has confirmed the reported enrichment agreement, and a senior Qatari official reportedly disputed details.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy said on November 9 that the East-West oil pipeline was targeted in the Medina region, starting a limited fire. Emergency crews extinguished the blaze, and authorities reported no casualties and no disruption to pipeline operations. The pipeline carries Saudi crude to the Red Sea, allowing exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.
Separately, Al Arabiya reported, citing unnamed sources, that a Qatari-Pakistani mediation proposal had revived negotiations over Iran's nuclear program. The report said Washington was prepared to allow Iran to enrich uranium to 3.67%, down from the 60% level the report says Iran has previously achieved, and that arrangements were under way to discuss the return of International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors. Neither Washington nor Tehran has confirmed the reported agreement, and a senior Qatari official reportedly disputed details of the proposal.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was scheduled to meet President Donald Trump on November 9 to discuss a possible ceasefire and renewed nuclear negotiations. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on November 8 that Tehran's demands were "not just unacceptable, but in some cases outrageous and ridiculous," while saying Washington remained open to diplomacy.
The report also cited a November 4 move in Brent crude, which it said fell nearly 9% to below $95 a barrel on expectations that a Democratic sweep of Congress would speed an end to the Iran war, with Al Jadeed reports of progress in US-Iran talks that a senior Iranian official subsequently rejected.