The Iran war and a Houthi campaign against the kingdom have squeezed export routes as crude prices surge above $100
Saudi Arabia’s crude oil production plunged by nearly 2 million barrels per day in August to its lowest level in over 35 years as war across the Middle East squeezed the kingdom’s export routes, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.
Riyadh told the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) that production fell by 1.9 million barrels per day last month to 6.238 million bpd, according to the group’s monthly report obtained by the outlet.
The figure marks a new low since the US and Israel launched their strikes against Iran in late February, as well as the kingdom’s lowest production level since the beginning of the Gulf War in 1990.
Saudi Arabia has been caught between disruptions on both of its principal maritime export routes. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been severely restricted amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict, forcing greater reliance on Red Sea routes.
At the same time, Tehran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen have renewed their war against Saudi-backed government forces and declared a maritime blockade against the kingdom.
The Houthis have also directly targeted Saudi energy infrastructure. A major missile and drone barrage on Tuesday set oil installations ablaze and forced operations at some facilities to halt, according to Saudi authorities, although Riyadh has provided few details on the extent of the damage or its impact on production.
The Houthis reportedly seized the strategic port city of Mocha on Thursday, tightening their grip on the approaches to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait – the narrow southern entrance to the Red Sea and a critical route for Saudi oil exports. The group said that navigation remains safe for other shipping but not for Saudi vessels.
The pressure is already visible in shipping data, as provisional tanker tracking compiled by Bloomberg showed Saudi crude exports falling by roughly a third in August to around 3 million bpd.
Riyadh told OPEC that its “supply to market,” which includes crude drawn from storage, stood at 7.122 million bpd, suggesting the kingdom tapped inventories to compensate for reduced production. OPEC’s separate estimate based on external “secondary sources” was substantially higher, putting Saudi output at 7.276 million bpd in August.
The mounting threats to both Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb have sent oil prices surging higher. Brent crude settled 6.3% higher at $107.63 a barrel on Thursday, while West Texas Intermediate jumped to $102.48, with both benchmarks reaching their highest levels since May.
The upheaval is already reshaping global energy flows. Russia this week launched the first shipment from its massive Vostok Oil project in the Arctic, opening a new export route via the Northern Sea Route that Rosneft says could eventually supply the equivalent of roughly 730 million barrels of crude annually.
Washington, meanwhile, has secured majority control over more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela’s proven oil reserves under a sweeping investment deal, with President Donald Trump portraying the crude as a “gift” that will help replenish America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Those additional supplies could eventually ease pressure on global markets. The immediate shock, however, is already reaching US consumers. The national average diesel price surpassed $6 a gallon for the first time on record on Thursday, according to GasBuddy, after rising nearly 60% since the US and Israel launched their war against Iran in late February.
