Saudi oil pipeline said to be out of service 'for weeks'

by Alimat Aliyeva

Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline, damaged in a drone strike last week, will remain out of service for weeks, two unnamed officials told Associated Press (AP) on Monday.

The exact deadline for reopening the crucial pipeline, one of the most important in the oil-rich nation, is widely seen as crucial for bypassing Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. On the other hand, the Yemeni Houthis gained control of the Bab el-Manded strait, controlling the exit from the Red Sea and threatening Saudi oil exports.

Satellite image confirmed damage to the pipeline, with Riyadh stating the attack came from neighboring Iraq.