Saudi Arabia Shuts Down East-West Pipeline After Drone Strikes

Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline, also known as Petroline, has been shut down due to drone strikes. The pipeline is crucial for transporting crude oil from the kingdom's eastern oil-producing region to the Red Sea, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.

The Saudi Energy Ministry said that several drones were launched from Iraq and targeted the pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions on Thursday morning. As a precautionary measure, the ministry halted operations and emergency teams began securing the pipeline for safety checks.

The East-West pipeline is one of Saudi Arabia's most important crude oil transportation systems, stretching approximately 1,200 kilometers from Abqaiq to Yanbu. It carries around 7 million barrels per day, with about 2 million barrels directed towards refineries on the western coast.