RIYADH: Top regional organizations including several Arab nations on Sunday strongly condemned and denounced the Iranian attack on an oil pipeline in Bahrain, while Manama called it a cowardly “terrorist act” by Tehran to destabilize the region.
The attack at the oil pipeline in Bahrain, a key Western ally, has prompted Saudi Arabia to tighten security around its oil facilities and installations.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), besides Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen, and Egypt denounced the pipeline explosion in Bahrain and expressed grave concerns over the role of Iran in escalating tension in the region.
“The pipeline attack was the result of an Iran-backed terrorist act,” said Bahraini Interior Minister Lt. Gen. Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa, in a statement.
“Evidence gathered by the inspection team confirms that this was an intentional act carried out by terrorists to undermine the security of Bahrain,” Al-Khalifa added.
Referring to the attack on the oil pipeline, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the explosion, while referring to the statement by the Bahraini government on the incident, which confirmed that “terrorist incidents, in Bahrain, in the recent period are done through direct contacts and instructions from Iran.”
The Saudi Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources also expressed its full support to Bahrain in the face of this aggressive action targeting the pipeline. The ministry said that it is stepping up security precautions at its own facilities after the incident, according to SPA.
On the other hand, Saudi Aramco issued a clarification regarding the fire, saying that the attack resulted in “the immediate suspension of crude oil from the pumping station in Dhahran, which feeds the refinery of state-owned Bahrain Petroleum Co. (Bapco) through this pipeline.”
“The oil flows have gradually resumed … and operations are under way to increase refining output in cooperation with Aramco on completion of repairs soon,” said a Bapco statement.
In another statement, Yousef Al-Othaimeen, OIC secretary-general, strongly condemned the terrorist attack and expressed full solidarity with Bahrain in combating all forms of terrorism.
“The attack was a serious terror crime, which endangers Bahrain’s supreme interests and terrifies both citizens and residents,” said Abdullatif Al-Zayani, GCC secretary-general, in a separate statement.