A strategic oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia was hit by a drone hours after the announcement of a ceasefire between the US and Iran, according to a person familiar with the matter interviewed by the Bloomberg. The attack was first reported by Financial Times.
A pumping station along the route was targeted in the attack, and damage was still being assessed, said the source, who requested anonymity because the details are not public. Saudi Aramco declined to comment.
The Saudi east-west pipeline has served as an alternative route to transport oil from the vast fields of the Persian Gulf to the port of Yanbu, on the Red Sea coast, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, practically closed since the start of the conflict. Saudi Arabia had increased flow through the pipeline to maximum capacity, allowing the export of about 5 million barrels per day, equivalent to approximately 70% of pre-war levels.
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The attack occurred on the same day as , but reports of .
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained largely restricted on Wednesday morning, making the Saudi land route and the port of Yanbu crucial for oil markets until the truce takes full effect.
President Donald Trump conditioned the ceasefire on Iran’s reopening of Hormuz, but the passage remained blocked to most maritime traffic.
