Saudi Arabia restarts East-West pipeline
Saudi Arabia restarted its East-West crude pipeline after a nine-day shutdown caused by drone attacks, restoring a route that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. The pipeline was initially running at a low rate, with Saudi Aramco seeking to restore flows to about 4 million barrels per day. Brent crude futures fell more than $2 a barrel on the restart.
Why it matters: This matters for energy security because the restart eases but does not resolve the region's limited bypass capacity, leaving most Gulf exports without an evacuation route during a sustained Hormuz closure.