Saudi Pipeline Shutdown Threatens Global Oil Supply Amid Ongoing Disruptions

Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline has been shut down following drone attacks, threatening one of the Middle East's most important backup export routes.

The pipeline had been transporting around 4-5 million barrels per day during the conflict, making it a crucial alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. With storage at Yanbu able to sustain exports for only five to seven days, the outage could begin reducing Saudi exports within days if operations are not restored.

The shutdown comes as Brent settled at $104.61 a barrel and WTI closed at $100.05 on Friday, with both benchmarks finishing the week more than 8% higher despite Friday's pullback.