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Gulf Countries Plan to Spend Huge Money on New Pipelines to Bypass Hormuz Strait

2026-04-02 15:14:04

Gulf States Revisit Pipeline Plans as Strait of Hormuz Threats Mount

Iran's potential long-term grip on the Strait of Hormuz is forcing Gulf states to rethink costly pipeline projects that could bypass the shipping chokepoint and secure oil and gas exports. Government officials and industry executives say that while these pipelines are expensive, politically complex, and take years to build, they may be the only way to reduce the region's dependence on the strait.

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The current conflict has thrown a spotlight on Saudi Arabia's 1,200-kilometer East-West Pipeline. Built in the 1980s amid fears that the Iran-Iraq "tanker war" could close the strait, it's now a critical lifeline. It moves 7 million barrels of crude a day to the Red Sea port of Yanbu—completely bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia is now looking at ways to export more oil via pipeline, including expanding the East-West line or building new routes.

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