By Colleen Howe and Jeslyn Lerh
SINGAPORE, Sept 14 (Reuters) – Oil prices rose more than 3% on Monday, after new Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia and Iranian attacks on ships in the Gulf compounded supply concerns following the closure of a key Saudi oil pipeline.
Brent crude futures rose $3.21, or 3.1%, to $107.82 per barrel as of 0340 GMT. WTI futures gained $3.17, or 3.2%, to $103.22 per barrel.
“This follows a step-up in attacks on Saudi Arabian energy infrastructure, including targeting the crucial east-west pipeline,” said ING commodity strategists, although noting that it was unclear how severe any potential damage was or how long the pipeline would be out of action.
Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline was temporarily shut following a drone attack, according to Saudi officials. The shutdown of the pipeline, which helps Saudi Arabia avoid the Strait of Hormuz and re-route its exports, threatens up to 4% of global oil supply.
With the pipeline out of service, Yanbu has enough inventory to cover just five to seven days of exports, according to three industry sources familiar with Saudi Arabia’s exports.
Saudi Arabian state media on Sunday released video footage of damage to homes and a mosque from what it said was a Houthi attack on the country’s southern Jazan province. The Houthis said they had also struck a Saudi military base in a neighbouring province.
Meanwhile, a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz was struck by a projectile, causing a fire and forcing the crew to be evacuated, the British maritime security agency UKMTO said on Sunday.
Iran said one person was killed and four crew wounded aboard an Iranian commercial vessel struck off its coast.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis reached the strategic island of Perim on Friday, moving to tighten their control over the Bab el-Mandeb strait, another key oil transit lane that has been carrying 4%-5% of global supply in recent months.
Oil surged 8% higher last week due to the disruptions, rising above $100 for the first time since July.
Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on X on Sunday, that a scheduled Monday meeting in Oman between Gulf countries and Iran to discuss the Strait of Hormuz had been postponed.
No peace talks have been held on the war, launched six months ago by the United States and Israel, since an interim agreement in June collapsed.
(Reporting by Colleen Howe in Beijing and Jeslyn Lerh in Singapore; Editing by Nick Zieminski, Edmund Klamann and Tom Hogue)
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