Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline halted after latest attack on oil infrastructure

Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline has once again been forced to halt operations following a new attack on its infrastructure. A source in the kingdom’s energy sector told AFP that a pumping station east of Riyadh, in the Khurais area, was targeted, causing significant damage. This marks the latest in a series of attacks on the critical pipeline, which has been repeatedly hit since the outbreak of war in the Middle East following US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

The attack comes just a day after the Iran-backed Houthi group in Yemen claimed responsibility for targeting Saudi sites, including facilities belonging to state oil giant Aramco. The East-West pipeline, which stretches about 1,200km between Saudi Arabia’s main oil fields and the Yanbu terminal on the Red Sea, has become a frequent target amid rising tensions in the region.

Last month, Saudi Arabia shut down the pipeline after attacks on its oil facilities, which were linked to pro-Iran armed groups in Iraq. The pipeline remained out of service from September 11 to 22, according to data from commodity-tracking platform Kpler. The pipeline’s importance has grown due to Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted Saudi Arabia’s primary oil export route.