A pumping station on Saudi Arabia’s main East-West oil pipeline suffered significant damage following an Iranian assault, reducing the pipeline’s throughput by 700,000 barrels per day. The disruption comes amid ongoing hostilities that have already limited alternative export routes for Saudi crude.
The East-West pipeline, which links facilities near the Persian Gulf with the Yanbu export terminal on the Red Sea, has served as Saudi’s primary export line since the conflict with Iran began. With persistent Iranian attacks hampering flows through the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia has become increasingly reliant on this interior route, which has the capacity to transport up to 7 million barrels daily.
The Saudi Press Agency also reported additional attacks have struck oil production sites at Manifa and Khurais, resulting in a further reduction of Saudi oil output by 600,000 barrels per day. Several refineries have experienced similar assaults, intensifying concerns over Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure and its ability to maintain production levels.
These strikes have contributed to broader volatility in global oil supplies, which had already been disrupted by previous Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. In response to the shipping crisis, the United States brokered a two-week ceasefire earlier this week in exchange for Iran agreeing to permit limited passage through the strategic waterway.
However, the CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, stated on Thursday that access through the strait remains closed in practical terms. According to Al Jaber, Iran continues to require foreign vessels to obtain permission before traversing the strait, prolonging uncertainty over future oil shipments from the region.
