Will Gulf states find new oil pipelines fast enough to reduce Hormuz reliance?
Gulf states are urgently reviewing their oil and gas transportation options to reduce reliance on the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing tensions with Iran. While new pipelines could help mitigate dependence, they are costly and unlikely to fully replace the significant volumes transported by sea. The situation has prompted various projects, including expanding existing pipelines and exploring new infrastructure corridors.
- ▪All Gulf Arab states are reassessing their security arrangements due to the Iran war.
- ▪New pipelines are being considered to reduce reliance on the Strait of Hormuz, which is a critical energy chokepoint.
- ▪Saudi Arabia and the UAE have some bypass pipeline infrastructure, but it is insufficient to fully circumvent the strait.
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News analysisWill Gulf states find new oil pipelines fast enough to reduce Hormuz reliance?Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inboxA photo from Iranian news agency Tasnim showing an Islamic Revolutionary Guards boat allegedly taking part in an operation on April 21 to seize ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz.PHOTO: AFPJonathan EyalPublished May 17, 2026, 05:00 AMUpdated May 17, 2026, 05:00 AMLONDON – All the Arab states of the Gulf are reassessing their security arrangements in the wake of the Iran war.Nowhere is this search for new security more evident than in the urgent reviews under way in Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia over the feasibility of building new pipelines to deliver their oil and gas to world…
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