Saudi Arabia cancels oil shipments after pipeline attack; Escalation in the Red Sea

According to insiders, Saudi Arabia is canceling some crude oil deliveries to European customers planned for the end of September. The world's largest crude oil exporter is reacting to the closure of its east-west pipeline after an attack last week, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters. In addition, attacks by the Yemeni Houthi militia in the Red Sea and ongoing disruptions to shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz are putting a strain on business.

From Qatar's perspective, a de facto closure of the Bab al-Mandab Strait would be a catastrophe. “The world is suffering enough because of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz,” a Qatari foreign ministry spokesman said. The world cannot afford for the sea route through the Bab al-Mandab to become impassable.

As a result of the renewed fighting in Yemen, more than 100,000 people have been displaced within the country, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR. Access for humanitarian aid deliveries is extremely difficult due to the insecure situation, destroyed roads and blocked communication routes.

Oman towed an oil tanker into a port after an attack. The Center for Maritime Security in Oman said on Tuesday that a fire had broken out in the engine room of the tanker “El Gaia”. US Central Command said Iran attacked the tanker with a drone off the coast of Oman over the weekend.

In the wake of the attacks on Saudi Arabia, authorities have also issued a warning in the holy city of Mecca for Muslims. It is the first time since the new escalation with the Houthi militia that the alarm has been triggered in the Muslim pilgrimage site of Mecca.

The UN Security Council meets to discuss the situation in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The meeting requested by France is scheduled to take place in the afternoon.

For the first time, a US government control agency has published a detailed official assessment of the consequences of the Iran war. Hundreds of buildings and other facilities at US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan were damaged or destroyed by Iranian attacks.

US President Donald Trump has nominated outgoing Congressman Wesley Hunt to be his senior envoy to Saudi Arabia.

The US government has imposed comprehensive sanctions on Russia's VTB Bank in an attempt to cut off Iran's remaining financing channels.

According to a report by the AP news agency, repairs to the east-west oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia are expected to take three to five weeks. The 1,200 kilometer long pipeline transports crude oil from production sites in the east of the country to export ports on the Red Sea in the west.