Pakistan attempts damage control with Saudi after walking back on Houthis

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif conveyed the support to Saudi Crown PrincePrincePrince Mohammed bin Salman during a phone call, according to Pakistan's Prime Minister's Office.

The call came a day after Saudi Arabia temporarily shut its 1,200-km East-West oil pipeline following a drone attack launched from Iraq.

The pipeline is a key alternative route for Saudi oil exports because it allows crude to reach the Red Sea without passing through the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping has been severely disrupted by the wider conflict involving the US and Iran since February.