Bahrain: Iranian Instructions Behind Oil Pipeline Fire

Emergency and rescue workers are seen blocking the road leading to a fire in at oil pipeline in Buri village south of Manama, Bahrain, November 10, 2017. Picture taken November 10, 2017. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
Emergency and rescue workers are seen blocking the road leading to a fire in at oil pipeline in Buri village south of Manama, Bahrain, November 10, 2017. Picture taken November 10, 2017. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
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Bahrain: Iranian Instructions Behind Oil Pipeline Fire

Emergency and rescue workers are seen blocking the road leading to a fire in at oil pipeline in Buri village south of Manama, Bahrain, November 10, 2017. Picture taken November 10, 2017. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
Emergency and rescue workers are seen blocking the road leading to a fire in at oil pipeline in Buri village south of Manama, Bahrain, November 10, 2017. Picture taken November 10, 2017. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

Bahrain said on Saturday that the recent oil pipeline fire was a terrorist act, which targets the supreme interests of homeland and citizens.

Bahraini Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid al-Khalifa described the incident as “an act of sabotage and a dangerous act of terrorism aimed at harming supreme interests of the homeland and safety of the people”.

“The terrorist acts that Bahrain has witnessed recently are conducted through communications and direct instructions from Iran,” he claimed.

The Public Prosecution was notified about the incident, as security bodies commenced interrogation and investigation operations to figure out the reasons behind the fire. Inspection and materialistic evidence showed that the incident is intentional.

Work is ongoing to determine the identity of suspects and arrest them.

Saudi Arabia denounced the blast that led to a fire in an oil pipeline in Buri, Bahrain.

UAE and Kuwait decried the terrorist act, which was described by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation as a coward action that aims to destabilize Bahrain.

Sheikh Rashid al-Khalifa stated that the civil defense handled the fire and controlled it in a record-time, assuring that the fire led to no humanitarian losses. He finally thanked the security bodies, state-run Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) and the citizens for their cooperation – Bapco closed the flow of oil to the stricken pipeline.

Sheikh Rashid declared that the incident is a dangerous escalation from the Iranians – on his twitter account, he posted that the attempt to blow up the Saudi Bahraini oil pipeline is an Iranian escalation that aims at scaring people and undermining oil industry.

A number of buildings and vehicles were damaged due to the heat and smoke caused by the fire – some residents were moved to a shelter to ensure their security and safety.



Saudi Arabia Emphasizes Peaceful Cooperation to Achieve Global Security

Ambassador Abdul Mohsen bin Khothaila speaks during the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference. (Photo: Saudi Mission in Geneva)
Ambassador Abdul Mohsen bin Khothaila speaks during the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference. (Photo: Saudi Mission in Geneva)
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Saudi Arabia Emphasizes Peaceful Cooperation to Achieve Global Security

Ambassador Abdul Mohsen bin Khothaila speaks during the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference. (Photo: Saudi Mission in Geneva)
Ambassador Abdul Mohsen bin Khothaila speaks during the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference. (Photo: Saudi Mission in Geneva)

Saudi Arabia emphasized peaceful international cooperation as a means to achieve global prosperity, stability and security, stressing the importance of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the necessity of its full implementation.

Ambassador Abdul Mohsen bin Khothaila, the Permanent Saudi Representative to the United Nations and international organizations in Geneva, participated in the second session of the Preparatory Committee for the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference.

The ambassador called for more effective international efforts to achieve the goals and universality of the NPT, urging non-party states to join the treaty and subject all their nuclear facilities to the comprehensive safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Affirming the right to the peaceful use of nuclear technology under Article 4 of the Treaty, he underlined the importance of adhering to the highest standards of transparency and reliability, calling on all parties to cooperate to promote peaceful use for the benefit of global development and well-being.

He stated that the responsibility for making the Middle East a nuclear-weapon-free zone lies with the international community, especially the sponsors of the 1995 resolution on the Middle East.

Bin Khothaila condemned the recent statements and threats made by a member of the Israeli government regarding the use of nuclear weapons against the Palestinians, describing his words as violations of international law and a threat to global peace and security.

He further called for intensifying cooperation between the parties to the NPT to attain positive results at the next “review conference” in 2026, with the aim of achieving a safe world free of nuclear weapons.