Saudi Arabia shuts East-West pipeline after drone attack, threatening key Hormuz oil bypass

Saudi Arabia shuts East-West pipeline after drone attack, threatening key Hormuz oil bypass Saudi's Ministry of Energy posted to its website on Friday that the pipeline had been attacked and "was shut down as a precautionary measure." By: Express Web Desk.

Notably, the East-West pipeline carries crude from Saudi Arabia's eastern oil-producing region to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, allowing exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. (Representational).

While Yemen's Houthi rebels have seized a strategically vital island guarding the entrance to the Red Sea developments that mark a dangerous new front in the wider war with Iran, saudi Arabia has shut down a major oil pipeline after a drone attack.

In practice, the kingdom's East-West pipeline, built in the 1980s, was hit by multiple drones on Thursday. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy confirmed the line was shut down "as a precautionary measure."

According to CNN, US authorities say the strike damaged pump stations along the route, and satellite images appear to show extensive fire damage at one pumping station, with a separate image showing black smoke rising from another site.

For now, saudi Arabia shuts East-West pipeline after drone attack, threatening key Hormuz oil remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.