Riyadh/Tehran, September 15, 2026: Saudi Arabia has informed European customers that late-September crude oil cargoes from its Red Sea port of Yanbu will be cancelled after an attack shut the East-West pipeline, while escalating fighting involving Yemen’s Houthis threatens to further disrupt regional energy supplies, according to Reuters and industry sources.
Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline, which carries crude from the Gulf to the Red Sea, was shut following last week’s attack. Industry sources said Yanbu had only five to seven days of crude stocks available for export when the pipeline went offline, suggesting Riyadh does not expect the line to resume before those stocks are exhausted.
Oil loadings at Yanbu have also been suspended, shipping industry sources said. Saudi Aramco declined to comment.
The disruption comes as Europe has increasingly relied on Saudi crude shipped through Yanbu because the Strait of Hormuz has remained largely closed since the war began. The YASREF refinery at Yanbu was also reportedly targeted by the Houthis.
A prolonged shutdown of the 1,200-kilometre East-West pipeline could affect up to 4% of global oil supplies while traffic through Hormuz remains severely restricted.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Tuesday said reciprocal attacks in the Gulf were undermining diplomatic efforts to end the US-Iran war and called for an immediate halt to the hostilities.
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart in Baku, Fidan said freedom of passage through the Strait of Hormuz should be restored and the pre-war status quo reinstated.
He said Ankara remained in contact with all parties in an effort to find a diplomatic solution and stressed the importance of stability in neighbouring Iran.
Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff has issued a nationwide passive defence directive covering three possible scenarios: an end to the war, a ceasefire and full-scale conflict.
Major General Ali Abdollahi, chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces and chairman of the Permanent Passive Defence Committee, issued the 10-article directive for the country’s 2026 Passive Defence Commemoration programme, according to Fars News Agency.
Under the full-scale war scenario, large public gatherings and in-person events would be suspended, with authorities instead focusing on operational preparedness, continuity of essential services, resource management and public assistance.
In a ceasefire scenario without a definitive end to hostilities, the directive prioritises public preparedness, vigilance against hybrid warfare and information security.
Qatar has warned that a closure of the Bab al-Mandab Strait would have catastrophic consequences for global trade and energy supplies.
Qatari Foreign Ministry official Ibrahim Al Hashmi said the world was already suffering from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and could not afford another major disruption at Bab al-Mandab.
He called for diplomacy and dialogue to prevent the southern entrance to the Red Sea from being closed.
Oman’s Maritime Security Centre said the Panama-flagged oil tanker EL GAIA was being towed to an Omani port after an attack caused a fire in its engine room.
The tanker was about 103 nautical miles northeast of Musandam when it was attacked. An Omani naval vessel evacuated 23 crew members, while two others remained missing.
The US ambassador to Lebanon visited a southern Lebanese village that recently came under the control of the Lebanese army under a framework agreement with Israel, according to AFP.
An Israeli drone was reported to have surveyed the area during the visit, while Israeli military vehicles were seen moving in a neighbouring town.
Israeli forces remain deployed in what they describe as a security zone along the Lebanese border.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will visit China on September 16 and meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
Beijing called for political and diplomatic solutions to the US-Iran conflict. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China was closely following developments in the Middle East and Gulf region.
The visit comes after a Pentagon inspector general’s report warned that US munitions used during the conflict had caused strategic inventory shortages and exposed bottlenecks in the American defence industrial base.
The UN Security Council will meet on Tuesday to discuss the situation in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, two French diplomats told Reuters.
France requested the meeting, which is scheduled to take place in the afternoon in New York.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its Aerospace Force had intercepted and destroyed a US MQ-1 Predator drone over the Strait of Hormuz.
The IRGC said its air defence systems tracked the unmanned aircraft before it was targeted with surface-to-air missiles.
The claim came hours after the IRGC announced another MQ-1 drone had been intercepted over the strategic waterway.
Thirteen civilians were injured in Houthi missile and drone attacks on three Saudi cities, the Saudi-led coalition said on Tuesday.
Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said the attacks targeted Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif on Monday, causing minor to moderate injuries. Seven homes and two vehicles were also damaged.
Saudi Civil Defence later issued danger alerts in Jeddah, Yanbu, Taif, Abha, Jazan and Alula before announcing that the threat had passed.
The Houthis said the attacks were retaliation for Saudi airstrikes in Yemen.
Yemen’s government-aligned National Resistance Forces claimed the Houthis had mobilised more than 76,000 personnel during recent fighting along the country’s western coast.
Force spokesman Major General Sadiq Dwaid alleged that Iranian and Lebanese experts were involved in planning and managing the operations.
He said 130 ballistic missiles, 145 suicide drones and 15 explosive-laden boats had been launched between August 9 and September 9.
Yemeni government forces separately claimed they had shot down three Houthi drones in Taiz and Shabwa provinces.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz declined further this week as attacks intensified across the region.
Kpler data showed only four commodity vessels transited the waterway on Monday, compared with 10 the previous day. Two dry bulk carriers exited the strait, while two oil tankers entered in ballast.
In the Bab al-Mandab Strait, 21 commodity vessels transited on Monday, down from 28 a day earlier.
Before the war began on February 28, Hormuz typically handled around 125 large commercial vessels a day and accounted for about 20% of global daily crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.
Hopes of diplomatic progress have faded after planned talks involving Iran and Gulf Arab states on reopening the Strait of Hormuz were postponed.
Oman had been due to host the talks on Monday, but the meeting was postponed, with Iran saying the delay came at Saudi Arabia’s request.
The Houthis meanwhile continued attacks against Saudi targets, while Saudi and Yemeni government forces intensified airstrikes against Houthi positions along Yemen’s western coast.
The United States has so far resisted Saudi requests for direct military intervention beyond intelligence support, according to Reuters sources.
The escalation has pushed oil prices higher, with crude rising more than 4% on Monday before settling around 1% higher.
The Strait of Hormuz has remained largely shut since the conflict began, with Iran warning vessels against transiting the waterway without its authorisation.
