Saudi Arabia Shuts East-West Pipeline After Drone Attacks

The Government of Saudi Arabia shut down its strategic East-West oil pipeline on September 11, 2026, following drone attacks targeting pumping stations in the Riyadh and Medina regions. The 1,200-kilometer conduit, which transports up to 7 million barrels per day to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, serves as a vital alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, which has been largely blocked since February due to an ongoing war between the United States, Israel, and Iran.

Concurrent with the pipeline sabotage, Iran-backed Houthi forces launched a rapid offensive in Yemen, seizing the port city of Mocha and strategic islands including Perim and the Hanish islands. These maneuvers granted the Houthis control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, effectively squeezing Saudi exports from both the east and west. The combined disruptions removed approximately 4% of the global oil supply, pushing Brent crude prices above $108 per barrel and driving U.S. diesel to record highs of $6.23 per gallon.

To mitigate the crisis, Saudi Aramco suspended loadings at Yanbu and canceled October crude deliveries to European refiners, while ramping up exports to Asia via ship-to-ship transfers off Oman's Sohar port. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright characterized the outage as a "brief and temporary interruption," though other industry sources estimated full repairs could take up to six weeks. President Donald Trump declined requests from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for direct military intervention against the Houthis, offering only intelligence and targeting support. By September 18, global prices eased slightly as Saudi Arabia shifted loading away from Yanbu to resume flows through the Persian Gulf under U.S. military protection.