Saudi Pipeline Shut Down Amid Escalating Conflict with Houthis

Saudi Arabia shut down its East-West pipeline after it was attacked by drones from Iraq, according to the Saudi Ministry of Energy. The attack is seen as a major escalation in the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia, with Yemen's Houthi rebels capturing the strategic Mayun Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The Houthis' capture of Mayun, also known as Perim, has opened a new front in the war, which could boost Iran's strategy of driving up world oil and gas prices to pressure the United States. The East-West pipeline, built in the 1980s, plays a crucial role in Saudi Arabia's ability to export oil.

The Houthi rebels have been attacking Saudi shipping on the Red Sea since declaring a blockade in July, as well as hitting oil infrastructure inside Saudi Arabia. The rebels said they acted in response to the kingdom’s yearslong blockade of Houthi-held parts of Yemen.

Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on the Red Sea to get its crude to market as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has been striking ships. However, the Houthis' capture of Mayun and their threats against shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb channel have made this route more complicated.

The fighting threatens to end a fragile truce that had largely halted Yemen’s civil war since 2022. At stake are 40 million people in the Arab world’s poorest country, where the conflict has already killed 150,000 and brought many others to the brink of famine.