Saudi Arabia Reboot East-West Pipeline After Drone Attacks

Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline is back in operation after being forced to shut down due to drone attacks on September 13, 2026. The pipeline, which has been used to reroute around four million barrels per day - approximately 4% of global supply - since the US-Israeli war on Iran, was pumping at a low rate after its restart.

The pipeline's resumption helped drive selling on global oil markets, with Brent crude futures falling by more than $2 a barrel to their lowest since September 8. The kingdom is seeking to get the pumping rate back to four million bpd, according to sources.

State oil firm Saudi Aramco did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, one of the sources said that Aramco was working to get the pipeline's supply back to normal levels, with a security source indicating that full resumption could take weeks.