The threat of Iran’s unlimited control over the Strait of Hormuz is prompting Gulf countries to reconsider expensive plans to build pipelines that bypass this strategic point, in order to continue their oil and gas exports, reports the Financial Times.
Officials and industry representatives assert that the new pipelines could be the only solution to reduce the persistent vulnerability of Gulf countries to disruptions in the strait, even though such projects would be costly, politically complex, and would require years to be completed.
The current conflict has highlighted the strategic value of Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline, stretching 1,200 km long. Built in the 1980s, amid fears that the “tanker war” between Iran and Iraq could block the strait, it now represents a vital artery, transporting seven million barrels of oil per day to the Yanbu port on the Red Sea, completely bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
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