A satellite image shows black smoke rising from an area of Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline south of Medina, Hejaz Region, Saudi Arabia on September 10, 2026. ReutersShow caption: A satellite image shows black smoke rising from an area of S…Pipeline has been shut 'as a precautionary measure', Saudi energy ministry saysThe NationalSeptember 11, 2026​Saudi Arabia's ​Ministry of Energy ⁠on Friday announced that the vital East-West ⁠oil pipeline has been shut ⁠down as a precautionary measure ​following "multiple" attacks.The attacks on ‌the ​pipeline in the Riyadh and Madinah regions came on Thursday and resulted in a number of injuries, the ministry said in a statement on X.The full pumping capacity through the East–West pipeline amounts to approximately seven million barrels per day.It is critical in linking oil production facilities in the Eastern Province with Yanbu on the west coast, and provided flexibility to export from Saudi Arabia's east and west coasts.It is unclear who was responsible for the strikes on the pipeline. The decision comes after Saudi Arabia traded a series of strikes with Yemen's Houthi rebels, who have been on an expansion campaign amid the US-Iran war.The Houthis have taken over Yemen's entire western coast along with several strategic islands, establishing a chokehold over the vital Bab Al Mandeb strait.This handout satellite image taken by Planet Labs PBC on September 11, 2026 shows a general view of an infrastructure site after it was damaged by fire south-east of Medina along the general route of Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline (Petroline). AFPShow caption: This handout satellite image taken by Planet Labs PBC on Sep…The attack on the pipeline signals that Saudi Arabia's oil resources and exports are under increasing threat amid the spiralling regional conflict. Shipments of energy supplies and other necessities have been severely curtailed by Iran's effective closing of the Strait of Hormuz at the beginning of the war with the US.Updated: September 11, 2026, 7:18 PM