Saudi Arabia’s oil exports soared this month despite a sharp escalation in fighting with Iranian-backed militants, according to data from trade intelligence firm Kpler.
Riyadh exported 6 million barrels a day in September, the highest level since the Iran war began about seven months ago. Saudi crude oil shipments have recovered to the monthly average for 2025.
Saudi Arabia has managed to increase exports even after shutting down a vital East-West oil pipeline this month due to damage sustained in a drone attack from Iraq. Crude oil exports in September jumped nearly 80% compared to August’s 3.4 million barrels per day.
The pipeline has served as an important safety valve for the oil market during the Iran war. This allowed Saudi Arabia to bypass the Strait of Hormuz while Iran attacked tankers passing through it. Riyadh has moved exports from the eastern oil-producing region through a pipeline to the Red Sea terminal in Yanbu.
Brent crude soared to nearly $110 a barrel after the pipeline closure, but prices fell as investors gained confidence that the disruption was not as severe as initially feared.
As the U.S. military opens a shipping route along the coast of Oman, Saudi Arabia redirects its crude oil exports to Hormuz. Other Gulf states have relied on this route for months, but it remains dangerous as Iran continues to attack tankers passing through the strait.
“While the increase in shipments from the Middle East Gulf is a result of the pipeline outage, it may also be a sign of increased confidence in using the Strait of Hormuz given the increased traffic,” said Matt Smith, director of commodity research at Kpler.
Oil exports through Hormuz reached a seven-day average of 13.2 million barrels per day on Wednesday, compared with about 17 million barrels per day before the Iran war disrupted traffic, according to Kupler data.
Industry sources told Reuters the East-West pipeline was restarted earlier this week with smaller volumes and is now being increased. Saudi Arabia has not officially acknowledged that the pipeline has been reopened.
But Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser told Japan’s Nikkei newspaper on Thursday that “temporary interruptions” to oil infrastructure “usually last days, not weeks or months… in any case.” Nasser declined to provide specific updates on the pipeline.
