[Saudi Arabia’s key oil pipeline was damaged in an attack and the main transportation capacity will be out of service for several weeks] On September 14th, two regional officials revealed that a key Saudi oil pipeline was damaged in an attack last week. Due to the impact of maintenance operations, the main transportation capacity of the pipeline will be out of service for several weeks. The east-west oil pipeline that traverses the entire territory of Saudi Arabia is the core facility of Saudi Arabia’s oil export strategy. Saudi Arabia is redirecting oil exports to the Red Sea to avoid shipping risks in the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, where shipping has been blocked by Iran-related attacks. The 1,200-kilometer (745-mile) pipeline has a maximum daily oil delivery capacity of 7 million barrels. Saudi Arabia said the attack was carried out by Iranian-backed Iraqi militias using drones. Affected by the attack, the pipeline was forced to shut down last Thursday. Officials familiar with the matter said that repair work on damaged pipelines and a major pumping station is expected to take three to five weeks. One of the officials said the pipeline may be able to operate at some capacity during repairs.