@not_a_newtthe east-west pipeline is down after drone strikes, and that was the only real oil export route left once you set aside the strait of hormuz, which iran has shut. what's notable here is who didn't do it. everyone braced for the houthis, but the strikes came from rebel groups in iraq aligned with iran. saudi arabia still chose not to hit back. the government's own explanation: "The Kingdom clarifies that, following a request from the prime minister of Iraq to give the brotherly Iraqi government the opportunity to take the necessary measures to prevent attacks launched from Iraqi territory against Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries, the Kingdom has opted not to respond at this stage and to support the efforts of the Iraqi government." so the iraqi prime minister asked for room, and riyadh gave it. at the same time, the houthis keep pushing saudi proxies out of yemen and grabbing the red sea coast, which means another major shipping route is slipping away from them. put it together and the saudis are boxed in from multiple directions at once. i don't see how that holds. they're reaching out to donald trump asking him to step in, and the read is that he'll be forced to do something rather than leave them hanging.
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