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Saudi Arabia Shuts East-West Pipeline After Reported Attacks
Saudi Arabia closed an important oil pipeline after it was attacked.
The attack happened on Thursday, and the closure was announced on Friday.
Two US officials said projectiles hit pump stations near the pipeline.
The attack reportedly caused a fire.
Saudi officials did not say who launched the attack.
They said the closure was a safety precaution.
The pipeline carries oil to the Red Sea port of Yanbu.
It lets Saudi Arabia ship oil without using the Strait of Hormuz, while Houthi activity near Yemen’s coast threatens another important shipping route.
Saudi Arabia shut its East-West oil pipeline on Friday after it was attacked the previous day.
Two US officials said projectiles struck pump stations located next to the pipeline, triggering a fire.
The Saudi Ministry of Energy did not identify those responsible and called the shutdown a precautionary measure.
The pipeline transports crude from Saudi Arabia’s eastern oil-producing region to Yanbu on the Red Sea.
The shutdown could affect an export route designed to bypass the Strait of Hormuz amid fighting involving Yemen’s Houthis.
- Who
- Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy announced the shutdown; two US officials described the reported projectile strikes. Houthi rebels are identified as a regional threat, but no attacker was officially named.
- What
- Saudi Arabia shut the East-West oil pipeline after reported projectile strikes on nearby pump stations and a resulting fire.
- Where
- The pipeline runs from Saudi Arabia’s eastern oil-producing region to Yanbu, a Red Sea port; pump stations near the pipeline were reportedly hit.
- When
- The attack occurred Thursday, and the shutdown was announced Friday.
- Why
- The ministry called the shutdown a precautionary measure after the attack.
Saudi Official Account
Reported US Assessment
Responsibility for the attack
Saudi Official Account
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy did not identify who carried out the attack and described the shutdown as precautionary.
Reported US Assessment
Two US officials said projectiles hit pump stations located next to the pipeline; the reports did not establish who launched them.
Regional security context
Saudi Official Account
The pipeline was closed as a precaution after the reported attack.
Reported US Assessment
The shutdown occurred amid Houthi control of coastal territory near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which was described as a threat to Saudi oil exports.
Key facts
- Pipeline
- East-West pipeline
- Route
- Saudi Arabia’s eastern oil-producing region to Yanbu on the Red Sea
- Attack timing
- Thursday
- Shutdown timing
- Friday
- Reported damage
- Projectiles struck pump stations near the pipeline, according to two US officials; a fire was reported
- Official attribution
- Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy did not specify who carried out the attack
- Strategic purpose
- The pipeline allows oil exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz
Sources
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