Saudi East-West Oil Pipeline
Debate between Baroness Antrobus and Lord Hannay of Chiswick
Baroness Antrobus (Lab)
I thank my noble friend for his kind words—and it is lovely to be able to call him my noble friend. He refers to the action against Iran by the US and Israel combined. As he will know, our former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer made an excellent judgment call in those early days, under a great deal of pressure from both outside groups and the Opposition. As a Member of this House and a former military officer, I commend the way he handled it.
Lord Hannay of Chiswick (CB)
My Lords, can the Minister confirm that the damage done to the Saudi installations originated from a rogue general in the Iraqi republic? Are we satisfied that that will not be repeated? Can she also address whether it is all that helpful for the President of the United States to say that he does not expect anything much to happen to alleviate the supply problems in the Gulf until after the US mid-term elections?
Baroness Antrobus (Lab)
The noble Lord makes an excellent point about the fact that the drone attacks that hit the Saudi pipeline and installations generally came from Iraq—from IRGC-supported militia. I cannot give a guarantee that this will not happen again. The IRGC is clearly active in various parts of the Middle East, and that remains of significant concern to our Government and to our allies in the region. Can the noble Lord repeat the second part of his question?
Lord Hannay of Chiswick (CB)
I asked the Minister whether she thought it helpful that the President of the United States said that he did not expect anything very useful to happen to improve the supply of oil and gas from the Gulf before the US mid-term elections.
Baroness Antrobus (Lab)
We do not know how long it will take for Saudi Arabia to repair the pipeline. Reports are varied, but some are optimistic that it will be sooner than that. I will, respectfully, take advice from our Saudi Arabian allies first and foremost. As the noble Lord would expect, there are conversations going on between our allies, particularly Saudi Arabia, and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.