Saudi Arabia Restarts Oil Exports Through East-West Pipeline Amid Yemen Fighting

Saudi Arabia has resumed oil exports through its East-West pipeline after repairing damage caused by drone strikes earlier this month. The pipeline, which bypasses the Strait of Hormuz, can carry up to 7 million barrels a day and had previously operated at a throughput rate of around 4 million barrels per day.

The repair work comes as Saudi Arabia seeks US backing for its military campaign against the Houthis in Yemen. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Washington, DC, amid renewed fighting that has reignited the civil war in Yemen.

Saudi Aramco, the kingdom's flagship oil company, started loading vessels at the Red Sea port of Yanbu via the pipeline on Sunday. The company began testing the pipeline last week for structural integrity and pressure after it was shut down following drone attacks from Iraq on September 10.