ConfirmedShipping, energy & marketsRiyadh and Madinah regions, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia shuts East-West oil pipeline, its Hormuz bypass, after drone attacks
- Mountain Time
- Local time
- 9:56 PM in Riyadh
- Where
- Riyadh and Madinah regions, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry said it had suspended the East-West pipeline as a precaution after the line was 'subjected to multiple attacks' on Thursday that injured several people; US officials said pump stations were hit. The pipeline carries crude to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, the kingdom's main export route while Hormuz is closed.
Why it matters
The shutdown removed Gulf oil's largest bypass of Hormuz days after the Houthis seized the Red Sea coast near Bab al-Mandeb.
Sources (8)
- Arab Newsarabnews.com
- CNNcnn.comPublished
- Middle East Eyemiddleeasteye.net
- Khaleej Timeskhaleejtimes.com
- The Jerusalem Postjpost.com
- Al Jazeeraaljazeera.com
- Al Jazeera live blogaljazeera.comPublished
- NPR (AP)npr.orgPublished
Confidence: Corroborated by independent sources or direct evidence. About confidence labels
Correction
- Corrected the time from 11:10 PM Riyadh time, Sep 11, 2026 to 9:56 PM Riyadh time, Sep 11, 2026; corrected the headline (it read "Drones from Iraq strike Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline, forcing shutdown"); revised the summary; revised the context note; reclassified it from energy-infrastructure-attack to energy-infrastructure; updated the sourcing note; merged 2 duplicate entries into this one ("Drone strikes force shutdown of Saudi East-West oil pipeline", "Saudi Arabia shuts East-West oil pipeline after drone attack from Iraq"); added 2 sources: Al Jazeera live blog, NPR (AP). Why and evidence