After Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb: Attacks From Iraq Shut Saudi Arabia’s Key Oil Pipeline to the Red Sea
Euro Times – Stockholm
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its East-West oil pipeline, one of the kingdom’s most important oil-export arteries and its key strategic route for bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, after a series of attacks struck sections of the pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions and caused injuries. The development adds new pressure to Saudi energy-export infrastructure as the regional consequences of the Iran-US war widen.
According to the Wall Street Journal, a senior Saudi official said the attacks originated in Iraq, where Iran-linked armed groups operate. The Saudi Energy Ministry has not officially identified the perpetrators. The newspaper also reported that satellite data showed fire activity along the pipeline route following the attacks.
Reuters, citing the Saudi Energy Ministry, confirmed that the pipeline was temporarily halted after several attacks in the Riyadh and Medina regions and that injured people received medical treatment. No specific timetable was announced for a full restart.
A 7-million-barrel-a-day artery that bypasses Hormuz
The East-West pipeline stretches roughly 1,200 kilometres from oil fields in eastern Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea port of Yanbu and has capacity of about 7 million barrels per day. Its strategic importance lies in allowing the kingdom to move crude from the Gulf to the Red Sea without passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
the Financial Times noted that the pipeline has become more important as risks around Hormuz have increased. But the route itself is now vulnerable to attack, while Saudi Arabia also faces a growing threat to the Red Sea route because of Houthi advances near Bab el-Mandeb.
Pressure from east and west at the same time
For Saudi Arabia, the problem is no longer confined to a single chokepoint. Hormuz remains the principal bottleneck for Gulf exports, while the East-West pipeline was effectively designed as a strategic safety valve. Attacks on the pipeline threaten to turn that land-based alternative into a new vulnerability.
At the same time, the Yanbu outlet on the Red Sea faces additional risks from developments in Yemen. The Houthis have reached strategic areas near Bab el-Mandeb, including Perim Island and Dhubab, according to Reuters, increasing pressure on the maritime corridor used by oil tankers leaving the Red Sea for the Indian Ocean.
Saudi Arabia is therefore facing simultaneous pressure on three interconnected links: Hormuz to the east, the East-West pipeline inside the kingdom, and Bab el-Mandeb to the southwest.
If the Iraqi front is confirmed
The most politically and militarily sensitive element is the Wall Street Journal’s report that the attacks originated in Iraq. If officially confirmed, this would mean that pressure on Saudi oil infrastructure is no longer limited to the Yemen-Houthi front but has extended to Iraq, where Iran-backed armed groups operate.
That would broaden the risk map confronting Riyadh, particularly because repeated attacks on the pipeline could reduce its effectiveness as a permanent strategic alternative to Hormuz.
Oil back above $100
The development comes amid severe tension in energy markets. The Financial Times reported that Brent crude had risen above $104 a barrel, while analysts have warned that continued disruption to Gulf and Red Sea routes could push prices still higher.
It also comes as Saudi oil production has fallen to low levels during 2026, magnifying the impact of any new disruption to export infrastructure.
From alternative route to strategic target
The East-West pipeline has been one of the central elements of resilience in Saudi Arabia’s oil system: if Hormuz becomes unsafe, crude can be redirected west to Yanbu. But attacks on the pipeline itself show that the war is beginning to hit the network of alternatives, not only the original export routes.
The energy battle is therefore shifting from the question of whether the Gulf can bypass Hormuz to a more difficult one: can Gulf states protect the alternative routes themselves once they become military targets?
