Houthis Gain Control of Bab el-Mandeb Strait as Saudi Oil Pipeline Is Shut Down

The Houthis now control the Yemin’s entire Red Sea coast including the island of Perim in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the mouth of the Red Sea. The Houthis have declared the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off limits to any Saudi ships.

In addition, Saudi Arabia shut down its East-West oil pipeline Friday after multiple drone attacks left it in flames. The shutdown takes a major Saudi crude export route to the Red Sea offline while shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains constrained.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs later said the East-West pipeline in the Riyadh and Madinah regions was targeted by “several drones coming from Iraq,” resulting in “injuries and some damage that is currently being addressed.”

The East-West pipeline has served as a critical outlet for Saudi Arabia’s oil exports amid disruptions from the Iran war. The pipeline, which can carry up to 7 million barrels per day, runs across the kingdom to export terminals on the Red Sea.

The Energy Ministry said emergency teams had been deployed to secure the pipeline and assess its safety after the attacks. “Any further developments will be announced in due course,” the ministry said.

The attacks on the pipeline system come as Saudi oil production has fallen to its lowest level this year. Saudi Arabia produced just 6.2 million barrels per day in August, its lowest monthly level of 2026 and 23% below July, according to OPEC data reported by the Financial Times. In addition, its crude exports fell to about 3.1 million barrels per day in August, down from 5.1 million barrels per day in July, its lowest level since at least 2013, according to Kpler.

The disruption comes amid a broader escalation in threats to Saudi energy infrastructure and Red Sea shipping. Earlier this week, the Houthis launched a large missile-and-drone attack on southern Saudi Arabia, striking energy infrastructure including facilities operated by Saudi Aramco, the state oil giant that produces about 10 million barrels a day, which amounts to roughly 10% of the world’s total oil demand. The attacks hit the southern Saudi Arabian cities of Jazan, Najran, Abha and Khamis Mushait, wounding 73 people and sparking fires at energy facilities and utilities that forced some operations to stop, according to Saudi officials.