Archive · 12 Sep 2026
Saudi Arabia Shuts East-West Pipeline After Attack Amid Houthi Fighting
Saudi Arabia closed a major 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.
Reports said the attack caused a fire.
Saudi officials did not say who was responsible.
They said closing the pipeline was a safety precaution.
The pipeline carries oil from eastern Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea port of Yanbu.
This route lets Saudi Arabia send oil without using the Strait of Hormuz, while fighting involving Yemen’s Houthis 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 nearby pump stations, with one report describing a resulting fire.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy did not identify those responsible and called the shutdown a precautionary measure.
The pipeline carries crude from the country’s eastern oil-producing region to Yanbu on the Red Sea.
The shutdown came amid Houthi control of coastal territory near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and concerns over oil exports.
- Who
- Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy announced the shutdown; two US officials described the reported projectile strikes. No attacker was officially identified.
- What
- Saudi Arabia shut the East-West oil pipeline after reported attacks on nearby pump stations and a reported fire.
- When
- The attack occurred Thursday, and the shutdown was announced Friday; one article was published on September 12, 2026.
- Where
- The pipeline runs from Saudi Arabia’s eastern oil-producing region to Yanbu on the Red Sea; the reported strikes hit nearby pump stations.
- Why
- The ministry called the shutdown a precautionary measure after the attack. The pipeline is also a route for bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Official Account
Reported US Assessment
Responsibility for the attack
Saudi Official Account
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy did not identify the attackers and described the shutdown as a precautionary measure.
Reported US Assessment
Two US officials said projectiles struck pump stations near the pipeline, but their account did not establish who launched them.
Reason for the shutdown
Saudi Official Account
Saudi officials presented the closure as a safety precaution following the attack.
Reported US Assessment
The reported strikes and fire indicated possible damage to infrastructure, according to accounts attributed to US officials and reporting.
Regional security context
Saudi Official Account
The official statement focused on the pipeline attack and did not publicly assign blame.
Reported US Assessment
Reports linked the shutdown to wider concerns about Houthi control of territory near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and threats to Saudi oil exports.
- Pipeline
- East-West oil pipeline
- Route
- Saudi Arabia’s eastern oil-producing region to Yanbu on the Red Sea
- Attack timing
- Thursday
- Shutdown timing
- Friday
- Reported damage
- Two US officials said projectiles struck nearby pump stations; 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 Saudi oil exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz
- Construction
- The pipeline was built in the 1980s
