U.S. Energy Secretary: American Forces Are Helping Saudi Oil Through Hormuz; Pipeline Back “Within Days”

U.S. forces are helping Saudi Arabia export oil through the Strait of Hormuz as the kingdom reroutes supplies away from the strategic East-West pipeline, which remains shut after last week’s drone attack.

The announcement was made by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday. “Saudi authorities in recent days are taking swift steps so that more oil, which is not moving through the East-West pipeline, comes out of the Strait of Hormuz with the United States military,” Wright said.

He added that he expects the Saudi East-West pipeline — the key route that allowed the world’s largest exporter to bypass the blocked Hormuz — to return to service “within days.” The pipeline was shut last week after a drone attack launched from Iraq, for which no group has yet claimed responsibility.

Wright blamed Tehran for the attack, describing “Iranian-backed attacks by proxy groups.” Saudi Arabia, Washington’s closest ally in the region, has been drawn into a new war front in Yemen, where Iranian-backed forces, the Houthis, have advanced rapidly along the Red Sea coast.

The pipeline’s return would be a major relief for global energy markets, as analysts warn that a prolonged disruption could lead to double-digit oil price increases.

Source: Al Jazeera (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/9/15/iran-war-live-centcom-refutes-iran-claim-supertanker-hit-hormuz-mines)