Saudi Arabia said on Friday it had closed its East-West oil pipeline as a precautionary measure following multiple attacks on the conduit the previous day.
The Ministry of Energy announced the closure in a post on social media. It said the attacks on Thursday caused several injuries, and that emergency teams were working to secure the pipeline and assess its structural safety.
The East-West pipeline runs across the kingdom from the eastern oil fields to the Red Sea coast. It serves as a key alternative route for crude exports, allowing shipments to bypass the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Gulf.
That function has taken on added weight as fighting across the Middle East has intensified in recent days. Yemen-based Houthi forces said they had carried out strikes in the region, part of a wider pattern of assaults on energy infrastructure.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which a large share of global seaborne crude passes, has become a focal point of the current disruption. Earlier attacks in the region have already pushed producers to adjust output and shift crude into storage as export routes came under threat.
The East-West line was built precisely to reduce dependence on the strait. Its shutdown removes one of the few overland options available to move Saudi crude toward international markets during periods of maritime tension.
The Ministry of Energy did not specify how long the pipeline would remain closed or provide details on the extent of the physical damage. It said assessment work was ongoing.
Regional energy facilities have faced repeated strikes in recent weeks, with drone and missile attacks reported against refineries and export terminals across the Gulf.
The ministry said it would issue further updates once inspections of the pipeline were complete.