Saudi Arabia's Oil Lifeline Cut: Houthis Seize Red Sea Strait as Drone Attack Shuts 745-Mile Pipeline, Oil Hits $110
Houthi rebels seize a key Red Sea strait while a drone attack forces Saudi Arabia to shut down its main oil pipeline, cutting off the kingdom's oil export routes and sending crude prices surging.
Saudi Arabia has shut down its main East-West pipeline after a drone attack, while Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have seized a strategic strait in the Red Sea, leaving the world's largest oil exporter scrambling to find routes for its crude [238931][239059].
The East-West pipeline stretches 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) across the Arabian Peninsula and normally allows Saudi Arabia to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway Iran has threatened to block [238931]. The shutdown followed a drone attack that reportedly injured several people, with satellite images revealing the extent of the damage [239113].
Both Baghdad and Riyadh said the attack originated in Iraq, where Iranian-backed militias operate. Iraq dismissed a military commander on Saturday in response [238931].
The crisis deepened Thursday when Houthi rebels allied with Tehran seized the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow waterway between Yemen and East Africa that connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean [239059][239153]. This strait is a key route for global shipping and threatens Saudi oil exports passing through the commercial lane [239059].
With Houthis controlling the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Iran blocking the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi oil tankers cannot reach the open ocean. The kingdom now risks losing all maritime access for its oil exports and is seeking support from the United States to respond to the crisis [239153].
The shutdown briefly pushed oil prices to $110 a barrel as markets feared the Middle East conflict is widening [239087]. Prices had already been rising quickly before the pipeline closure [238854].
NASA satellite images showed a large plume of smoke near the pipeline, with researchers saying the smoke came from emergency flaring—the controlled burning of gas typically triggered by a safety issue or operational problem [238436]. There has been no official word on what caused the flaring or whether the pipeline itself was damaged [238436].
Ship operators already faced severe risks in the Red Sea, and the situation has grown more dangerous as Houthi militias assert control in the region [239086]. The attacks have specifically targeted pipelines, adding new pressure to a vital trade route [239086].
The shutdown highlights the growing risk to global oil supplies as the conflict spreads across the region [238931].