Saudi Arabia Shuts Down Its Only Oil Pipeline That Bypasses Hormuz After Attacks

Saudi Arabia closed its East-West pipeline on Friday after multiple attacks, the kingdom's Energy Ministry said. The pipeline is the country's only route for exporting oil without passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The ministry called the closure "preventive." It said the attacks happened on the morning of Thursday, September 10, 2026, and "caused several injuries." The wounded received medical care. The ministry did not say who carried out the attacks or where they came from. Emergency and technical teams responded immediately. They secured the infrastructure and checked its safety, the ministry said, working with the relevant authorities. **A key route for global oil** The East-West pipeline, also known as Petroline, crosses Saudi Arabia from the eastern oil fields on the Persian Gulf to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea. It is about 1,200 kilometers long and can carry up to 7 million barrels of crude oil per day. The pipeline matters because it lets Saudi Arabia export oil while avoiding the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that is currently tense. Saudi Arabia had increased its use of the pipeline to send more exports to Yanbu and reduce the impact of the blockade and shipping restrictions. But the pipeline has also faced threats in recent months. In late July, the Houthis of Yemen said they attacked "several targets and sensitive points" linked to oil supply and transport along the pipeline route with drones. In April, Iranian attacks hit a pipeline station and cut about 700,000 barrels per day of pumping volume. The flow was later fully restored. **44 people reported dead** Yemen's Health Ministry, controlled by the Houthi rebels, said Friday that 44 "civilians" were killed and 38 wounded over eight days, from September 3 to 10. The ministry blamed the attacks on Saudi Arabia, which backs Yemen's government forces. The ministry said five children and three women were among the dead, and 11 children and five women were among the wounded. It called them "victims of Saudi aggression and its mercenaries." The attacks took place in the provinces of Al Jawf, Al Hudaydah, Taiz, Saada, Sanaa and Hajjah, the ministry said.