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Saudi Arabia’s vital East-West oil pipeline carrying crude from the Gulf to the Red Sea for export has been attacked, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The people said a pumping station, one of several along the 1,200km pipeline that has become an economic lifeline for the kingdom since the near closure of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, was hit at about 1pm local time on Wednesday.
One of the people said it had been attacked by a drone and that the damage was being assessed.
Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company that owns and operates the pipeline, declined to comment. The company has been rerouting exports to the Red Sea via the line to avoid the Strait of Hormuz.
The attack on vital infrastructure comes hours after Iran and the US agreed a ceasefire deal on Tuesday evening US time.
The east-west pipeline was built in the 1980s due to concerns that the strait would be closed during the Iran-Iraq “tanker war”.
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