Energy & Resources
Saudi oil export routes squeezed by pipeline halt
Saudi Arabia's oil export routes are under growing pressure after attacks forced the East-West pipeline shut while Iran and the Houthis restrict the kingdom's two main maritime routes, analysts said.
The East-West pipeline runs about 1,200 kilometres between Saudi Arabia's main oil fields in the east and the Red Sea terminal at Yanbu. Saudi Arabia halted it after what Saudi and Iraqi authorities described as drone attacks launched from Iraq hit the route, causing injuries and damage in the Riyadh and Medina regions.
The pipeline had become central to Saudi oil trade after Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz at the start of the Middle East war. Its Red Sea outlet has also been limited by Houthi attacks from Yemen and a weeks-long Houthi maritime blockade on vessels serving Saudi ports.
Saudi Arabia can still export some oil through Yanbu, the Suez Canal and Egypt's Sumed pipeline, which carries crude from the Red Sea to the eastern Mediterranean. It can also send some shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has repeatedly attacked commercial shipping.
Commodities data firm Kpler said Saudi exports via Yanbu rose fivefold after the start of the war to nearly four million barrels per day. But it said exports through the Bab al-Mandab Strait fell to nearly zero by August after the Houthis announced a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia in July.
Kpler said Saudi crude transits through the Suez Canal approached 500,000 barrels per day at the end of July, compared with almost none in June. It estimated that the Suez and Sumed routes could theoretically carry up to 3.4 million barrels of Saudi crude per day around Bab al-Mandab, but said that capacity has never been tested at that scale.
For crude bound for Asia, Saudi Arabia's main export market, the route would require ships to sail up to the Mediterranean and then around Africa, adding weeks to the journey.
Risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft said Saudi oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz remain volatile and average about half their pre-war level. It said ships are moving with tracking systems switched off and using ship-to-ship transfers to move crude out of the Gulf.
Brent crude rose to nearly $110 per barrel after the East-West pipeline closure was announced. Average diesel prices in the United States reached a record of just under $6.27 a gallon on Tuesday, though the Ukraine war is also affecting diesel prices.
Ipek Ozkardeskaya of Swissquote wrote that Saudi Arabia said its oil production fell last month to its lowest level since 1990.
Verisk Maplecroft said repairs to the East-West pipeline could be complicated by the conflict, with disruptions to maritime transport delaying equipment imports. Torbjorn Soltvedt, a Middle East analyst at the company, said the attacks are reducing exports while the trade disruption is making repairs harder.
Saudi statements on the pipeline attacks did not name a group responsible. Saudi Arabia said it chose not to respond at this stage at the request of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and would support Iraqi government efforts to prevent attacks launched from Iraq against Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries.
Update
Analysts said Saudi Arabia's oil export options are narrowing because the East-West pipeline shutdown coincides with restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea routes.
Kpler said Saudi exports via Yanbu had risen fivefold to nearly four million barrels per day since the start of the war, before Houthi actions sent exports through Bab al-Mandab to nearly zero by August.
Kpler estimated that using the Suez Canal and Egypt's Sumed pipeline could theoretically move up to 3.4 million barrels of Saudi crude per day around Bab al-Mandab, but said that capacity has not been tested at that scale.
Verisk Maplecroft said Saudi crude volumes through the Strait of Hormuz remain volatile and average about half their pre-war level.
Brent crude rose to nearly $110 per barrel after the East-West pipeline closure was announced, and average US diesel prices reached just under $6.27 a gallon on Tuesday.
Verisk Maplecroft said pipeline repairs could be complicated by disruptions to maritime transport and delays in equipment imports.
Source note: AFP news report published on 15 September 2026 at 18:29:46 UTC.
Update
Saudi authorities described the pipeline closure as temporary.
Copernicus Sentinel Data satellite images taken Thursday showed black smoke near Medina along the general pipeline route.
Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar and the Gulf Cooperation Council condemned the attack.
The Gulf Cooperation Council called the attack a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable threat to Saudi security.
Source note: AFP news report published on 12 September 2026 at 02:07:08 UTC.
Update
The office of Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced the dismissal of the commander responsible for southern Maysan province.
The Iraqi prime minister's office said the attacks targeting Saudi Arabia originated from a location within Maysan governorate.
Source note: AFP news report published on 11 September 2026 at 23:56:21 UTC.
Update
Saudi Arabia said the attacks occurred on Thursday morning.
Saudi Arabia said several people were wounded.
The foreign ministry said Riyadh chose not to respond at this stage at the request of the Iraqi prime minister.
The foreign ministry said Saudi Arabia reserves the right to take measures to protect its sovereignty, security, facilities and people.
Source note: AFP news report published on 11 September 2026 at 20:59:03 UTC.
Update
Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry condemned the targeting of the East-West pipeline.
The foreign ministry said several drones came from Iraq and targeted the pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions.
The foreign ministry said the attack caused injuries and damage.
Source note: AFP news report published on 11 September 2026 at 20:47:57 UTC.
Update
Saudi Arabia said drones launched from Iraq hit the oil pipeline.
Source note: AFP news report published on 11 September 2026 at 20:37:43 UTC.
Update
Saudi authorities said the East-West pipeline was attacked in the Riyadh and Medina regions.
An energy ministry official told SPA the attacks happened on Thursday morning.
The official said the pipeline was stopped as a precaution.
The official said the attacks caused some injuries.
Source note: AFP news report published on 11 September 2026 at 18:52:05 UTC.
Update
Saudi Arabia's energy ministry said the kingdom shut the East-West oil pipeline after attacks.
Source note: AFP news report published on 11 September 2026 at 18:42:40 UTC.
Update
The attacks are described as hurting Saudi Arabia's oil industry and risking a return to full-scale war.
Saudi oil exports via the Gulf have been all but halted by Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, with much of the flow redirected to the Red Sea by pipeline.
Riyadh has increasingly used an Egyptian pipeline to move oil to the Mediterranean since a Houthi maritime blockade began in July.
Kpler said oil exports from Egypt's Kerir port more than doubled in August to 2.3 million barrels a day, mostly Saudi crude.
Analysts said Saudi Arabia was likely to favour a measured or gradual response rather than a long air campaign.
Source note: AFP news report published on 10 September 2026 at 14:45:48 UTC.
Update
Rubio said there was an “Iranian hand” behind the Houthis attacking Saudi Arabia.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 17:42:34 UTC.
Update
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the operation used dozens of ballistic missiles and drones.
The Houthis said the attacks were a response to more than 120 Saudi strikes on Yemen in the previous three days.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 08:14:20 UTC.
Update
Saudi authorities and official media said the strikes caused fires and temporary shutdowns.
An energy ministry source quoted by the Saudi Press Agency said several energy facilities in southern Saudi Arabia were targeted and some operations were temporarily halted.
The International Organization for Migration estimated about 18,500 people had been displaced in Taiz and Hodeidah governorates.
The item describes the attack as the Houthis' heaviest since Yemen hostilities resumed in July.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 07:28:43 UTC.
Update
Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry condemned the Houthi attacks on its territory.
The ministry said Saudi Arabia would take all necessary measures to defend its sovereignty.
The ministry called for an immediate halt to Houthi escalation and Houthi attacks on shipping.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 06:20:03 UTC.
Update
Houthi media said the rebels hit targets including Abha International Airport, King Khalid air base and Aramco facilities in Abha and Jizan.
The Riyadh-led coalition said it would take measures to respond to the source of the threat.
AFP reported that days of fighting near Yemen’s Red Sea coast have left more than 300 people dead and displaced hundreds of families.
Houthi-affiliated Almasirah quoted a Jawf civil defence official as saying 11 people were killed and 20 inmates were missing after a strike on a prison in Al-Hazm.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 04:52:17 UTC.
Update
The Riyadh-led coalition said it would take necessary measures to respond to the sources of the threat and neutralize its danger.
The coalition said the latest attacks targeted civilian and economic sites.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 September 2026 at 04:03:36 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The supplied information does not identify which group was responsible for the attacks on the East-West pipeline.
Kpler's estimated 3.4 million barrels per day capacity for the Suez and Sumed routes is theoretical and has not been tested at that scale.
The effect of the Ukraine war on US diesel prices is separate from the Saudi export squeeze and is not quantified in the supplied material.
Source
AFP news report published on .