Satellite imagery reviewed by analysts has revealed severe damage to a key pumping station along Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline, which carries crude oil westward for export via the Red Sea — an increasingly vital route since Iranian and US forces began attacking tankers in the Strait of Hormuz during their ongoing six-month conflict. The Saudi government has blamed Iranian-backed militias in Iraq for the strike, which occurred amid a broader escalation that also includes Houthi drone and missile attacks on southern Saudi Arabia and a Houthi seizure of territory along Yemen's southwestern coast, tightening their grip on the strategic Bab al-Mandab waterway. Experts say repairs could take more than a month, raising fears of a significant reduction in global oil supply and pushing prices — already under pressure — toward extreme scenarios, with some analysts warning of levels approaching $150 per barrel.