France sends soldiers to protect oil port in Saudi Arabia

Paris. France is sending soldiers and military equipment to Saudi Arabia to protect the important oil port of Yanbu from attacks and to support the supply of crude oil to the global market. President Emmanuel Macron announced this in an interview with the channels TF1 and France 2 on Thursday evening.

Before the Iran war, Saudi Arabia was the world's second largest oil producer behind the USA and the most important exporter of the raw material. The important east-west pipeline, bypassing the effectively blocked Strait of Hormuz, brings large quantities of oil from the country's east coast on the Persian Gulf to be shipped to Yanbu on the Red Sea to the west.

The 1,200 kilometer long pipes were shut down as a precautionary measure around two weeks ago after attacks by Iraqi militias allied with Iran and the Houthi militia from neighboring Yemen. According to media reports, oil is now flowing through the pipeline again - although significantly less than before due to the damage caused by the attack. The maximum capacity is up to seven million barrels per day.