East-West oil pipeline pumping halted after new attack: Saudi energy sector source to AFP

Oil flows in Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline were halted again following a fresh attack on the critical infrastructure, a source working in the kingdom's energy sector told AFP on Monday.

"The East-West pipeline was attacked again yesterday," the source told AFP. "A pumping station east of Riyadh in Khurais. It wasn't targeted before. There was big damage and the pipeline stopped again."

The information comes a day after the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen said they targeted sites in Saudi Arabia belonging to state oil giant Aramco, including infrastructure in Khurais.

The East-West pipeline has been targeted multiple times after war erupted across the Middle East following US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Last month, Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, shut the East-West pipeline, which runs about 1,200 kilometres (700 miles) between its main oil fields in the east and the Yanbu terminal on the Red Sea.

It followed attacks on Saudi oil facilities originating in Iraq, home to pro-Iran armed groups.

Flows in the pipeline remained halted from September 11 to 22, according to commodity-tracking platform Kpler.

The pipeline became essential for Riyadh's oil trade after Iran began blockading the Strait of Hormuz at the start of the Middle East war, choking its main export route.

bur/axn

Saudi Aramco