Saudi oil pipeline hit in strikes will be mostly out of service for several weeks for repair

CAIRO (AP) — A crucial Saudi oil pipeline that was struck in an attack last week will mostly be out of service for weeks as the damage is repaired, two regional officials told The Associated Press on Monday, as Yemen's Houthi rebels seized more islands dominating key Red Sea shipping routes in new blows to Saudi Arabia's oil exports.The developments further strain Saudi Arabia's effort to get its oil to market while avoiding the Strait of Hormuz, the choke point at the mouth of the Persian Gulf where Iranian attacks have stifled shipping. The kingdom relies on the East-West Pipeline, which runs the breadth of the country, to move its crude production from Gulf ports to ports on its western, Red Sea coast. From there it can be put on tankers for export.An attack that Saudi Arabia blamed on drones from Iranian-backed militias in Iraq forced the shutdown of the 1,200-kilometer (745-mile) pipeline pipeline on Thursday.The officials, who have been briefed on the matter, said repairing the damage could take three to five weeks, including at a major pumping facility.

One of the officials said the line may work partially while teams carry out the repairs. The pipeline has a total capacity to carry up to 7 million barrels of oil a day.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief the media.The Saudi oil company Aramco, which operates the pipeline, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The government-run Center for International Communication, which oversees foreign media in the kingdom, said it was looking into an AP inquiry about how long it will take to repair the pipeline.Houthis' grab of islands strengthens hold on a key outlet from the Red SeaIran-backed Houthi rebels captured the strategic islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish, government and Houthi officials said Monday.

The islands lie 160 kilometers (100 miles) north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The strait is a choke point that connects the Red Sea to the open ocean and Saudi Arabia's key Asian markets.For more than a month, the Houthis have been striking Saudi oil infrastructure and shipping in the Red Sea, stepping up pressure on global oil prices and boosting Iran’s leverage in its war with the United States.Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have been attempting to rally and fight back. But the Houthi gains have seemingly come with little resista…

The 1,200-kilometer (745-mile) pipeline can carry up to 7 million barrels of oil a dayAn attack that Saudi Arabia blamed on drones from Iranian-backed militias in Iraq forced the shutdown of the pipeline on Thursday.The officials, who have been briefed on the matter, said repairing the damage could take three to five weeks, including at a major pumping facility. AP’s earlier story follows below.CAIRO (AP) — Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels captured more strategic islands in the southern Red Sea, government and Houthi officials said Monday, strengthening their control of a major maritime shipping route.The capture of the islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish is the latest in the rebels' swift advance around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key passage for Saudi oil shipments that has only become more crucial during the Iran war since it serves as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.Like Hormuz, which is located at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula — is a chokepoint that connects the Red Sea to the open ocean and Saudi Arabia's key Asian markets.For more than a month, the Houthis have been striking Saudi oil infrastructure and shipping in the Red Sea, stepping up pressure on global oil prices and boosting Iran’s leverage in its war with the United States.Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have been attempting to rally and fight back.