The United States and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire to halt the ongoing conflict. However, despite this agreement, Tehran has launched an हमला on Saudi Arabia’s critical East-West pipeline. According to Reuters, the attack on Wednesday (April 8) has severely damaged what is considered the kingdom’s only alternative route for exporting crude oil.
After Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia had been relying on this pipeline to transport oil from its fields to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. An industry source told Reuters that the attack could disrupt the flow through the pipeline, although the extent of the damage is not yet known. There are growing concerns that this incident could further intensify what may become one of the worst global energy crises in history.
In a statement on Wednesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had targeted multiple locations in the region using missiles and drones. The group claimed that among the targets were oil facilities operated by U.S. companies at the Yanbu port. However, there has been no immediate comment from Saudi Aramco or the Saudi government regarding the timing of the attack or its impact on pipeline operations.
Meanwhile, despite the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran brokered by Pakistan, Iranian attacks have continued across Persian Gulf countries. Kuwait’s military reported coming under intense Iranian assault starting at 8 a.m. local time on Wednesday. Drone strikes reportedly caused significant damage to oil facilities, power plants, and water treatment centers in Kuwait.
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates stated that they successfully intercepted Iranian missiles and drones again on Thursday. Bahrain also reported damage to several homes in the Sitra area due to Iranian strikes.
Notably, the East-West pipeline has the capacity to export up to 5 million barrels of oil per day. Shipping data from March shows that approximately 4.6 million barrels were exported from the Yanbu port. Despite the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia had been benefiting financially from this pipeline, with oil revenues higher than the previous year. However, the recent attack has now placed this crucial infrastructure at significant risk.
Iran attacks Saudi Arabia’s only operational oil pipeline amid ceasefire
