Drone attacks shut key Saudi oil pipeline (SATELLITE PHOTOS)

Riyadh says UAVs launched from Iraq struck the East-West route used to bypass the Strait of Hormuz Saudi Arabia has been forced to shut down its strategic East-West oil pipeline after drone attacks damaged pumping facilities along the route, dealing another blow to the kingdom’s ability to export crude amid the US-Iran war.

The Saudi Energy Ministry said on Friday that the pipeline was hit at several locations in the Riyadh and Medina regions the day before, causing “some injuries” and prompting authorities to halt operations as a “precautionary measure.” Emergency teams are assessing the damage, and Riyadh has not said when pumping will resume.

Two US officials cited by CNN said preliminary analysis indicated that at least two pumping stations along the pipeline were struck by drones.

Satellite imagery reportedly showed extensive fire damage at one facility and a smaller blaze at another.

CNN reports that pumping stations on Saudi Arabia’s key east-west pipeline were hit on Thursday, with one severely damaged.

The pipeline currently carries 7+ million barrels of crude oil per day bypassing Hormuz. pic.twitter.com/t5fnZMGcgM — OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) September 11, 2026 The East-West pipeline carries crude from Saudi Arabia’s oil-producing Eastern Province across the kingdom to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, allowing exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

It can transport up to 7 million barrels per day, with roughly 5 million bpd available for export after supplying western refineries. 🇸🇦 The scale of the suspected attack on Saudi Arabia’s East–West oil pipeline is visible from space.

Satellite imagery shows a dense smoke plume stretching more than 100 km across the desert, while fire-monitoring data detected several intense heat anomalies along the pipeline… pic.twitter.com/eHFiCCMC3m — Eye OSINT (@AlexiaNoel94927) September 11, 2026 The route has become particularly important since fighting between Washington and Tehran severely disrupted shipping through Hormuz.

Saudi Arabia has rerouted around 5 million barrels per day that would otherwise have been loaded at Persian Gulf terminals through the pipeline to the Red Sea. 🔥Satellite imagery shows further damage at Aramco's Jazan oil facility in southern Saudi Arabia on Sep 9.

Fire damage is visible, with two storage tanks destroyed and two more damaged.

Explore and Compare: https://t.co/xJCALwjQKa #SaudiArabia #IranWar #Houthi #MiddleEast pic.twitter.com/Wsa7aqd3yz — Soar (@SoarAtlas) September 11, 2026 The pipeline shutdown comes just as Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen have pushed back Saudi-backed government forces and seized the Red Sea port of Mocha and Mayun Island at the entrance to another strategic waterway, the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.