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Saudi Arabia’s crude oil exports have surged this month despite a sharp escalation in fighting with Iran-backed militants, according to data from the trade intelligence firm Kpler. <\/p>\n
Riyadh is exporting 6 million barrels per day in September, the highest level since the Iran war began about seven months ago. The kingdom’s crude shipments have recovered to the monthly average of 2025. <\/p>\n
The Saudis have managed to ramp up exports even after they closed the critical East-West oil pipeline<\/a> this month due to damage it sustained in a drone attack launched from Iraq. Shipments in September have surged nearly 80% over the 3.4 million bpd of crude exported in August. <\/p>\n The pipeline has acted as a crucial relief valve for the oil market during the Iran war. It allowed the Saudis to bypass the Strait of Hormuz<\/a> as Iran attacked tankers transiting those waters. Riyadh shifted exports from its oil-producing regions in the east through the pipeline<\/a> to the Red Sea terminal of Yanbu.<\/p>\n Brent crude oil jumped to nearly $110<\/a> per barrel after the pipeline shut, but prices have pulled back as investor confidence grows that the outage has been less disruptive than originally feared. <\/p>\n The Saudis have redirected crude oil exports back through Hormuz as the U.S. military has carved out a shipping lane<\/a> along Oman’s coast. The other Gulf states have relied on this route for months now, though the journey remains dangerous as Iran continues to attack tankers transiting the strait.<\/p>\n “The ramp-up from the Mideast Gulf is a consequence of the pipeline outage, but it likely also signals a greater confidence in using the Strait of Hormuz given rising traffic,” said Matt Smith, director of commodity research at Kpler. <\/p>\n Oil exports through Hormuz reached a seven-day average of 13.2 million bpd on Wednesday, compared with around 17 million bpd before the Iran war disrupted traffic, according Kpler data. <\/p>\n