Drone-damaged Saudi oil pipeline to take weeks to repair

A crucial Saudi Arabian oil pipeline will remain mostly out of service for three to five weeks for repairs following a drone strike, officials said, dealing a significant blow to the kingdom's efforts to export crude while avoiding the Strait of Hormuz. The shutdown of the 1,200-kilometer East-West Pipeline, which can carry up to 7 million barrels of oil per day, was ordered on Thursday after an attack Saudi Arabia blamed on drones launched by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. The pipeline, which runs from Saudi Arabia's oil-producing east to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, is a critical alternative export route as the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted by conflict between the U.S. and Iran. Repair work will include fixes at a major pumping facility, and officials indicated the line may operate partially while teams address the damage. Saudi Aramco, which operates the pipeline, did not immediately comment on the repair timeline. The pipeline damage coincides with a major Houthi advance along Yemen's Red Sea coast. The Iran-backed rebels captured the strategic islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish in the Red Sea on Monday, according to government and Houthi officials.