What to watch today
Saudi Arabia’s attempt to send more oil through the Strait of Hormuz; any timetable for repairing the East-West pipeline; and announcements from the second day of Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.
Good morning. Saudi Arabia is trying to replace its disabled Red Sea export route by sending more crude through the Strait of Hormuz, a route the East-West pipeline let it avoid. Tanker shortages and shipping risks will limit how much oil Riyadh can move.
Saudi Arabia turns to Hormuz
Saudi Arabia is seeking to increase oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz after drone attacks forced it to close the East-West pipeline, Bloomberg reported, citing a person familiar with the plans.
The kingdom exported close to four million barrels a day in early September. About one million barrels passed through Hormuz and most of the remainder left through Yanbu, the Red Sea port at the end of the pipeline, according to Bloomberg. Saudi exports had fallen to about three million barrels a day in August, their lowest level in at least nine years.
The East-West pipeline can carry seven million barrels a day. Saudi Arabia had earmarked about five million barrels of that capacity for exports and used the remainder to supply refineries on the Red Sea coast.
The repair timetable remains unclear. Two regional officials told the Associated Press that the pipeline could remain out of service for several weeks, while US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said he expected it to return “very soon”. Saudi Aramco declined to comment, and the Energy Ministry had issued no update by Monday evening.
Saudi oil buyers and traders told Reuters that Yanbu had enough stored crude to maintain exports for five to seven days. If the pipeline remains closed beyond that period, the disruption could remove about four million barrels a day, or 4% of global supply.
Sending more crude through Hormuz will require more tankers willing to enter the strait. The cost of carrying Gulf oil to China reached about $1 million a day on Monday, the highest rate recorded on the route.
Oil jumps above $107
Brent jumped $3.62 to $108.23 at Monday’s open, while West Texas Intermediate rose $3.15 to $103.20. Brent remained above $107 later in the session after closing at $104.61 on Friday.
Traders were assessing the pipeline shutdown, Riyadh’s attempt to increase Hormuz exports and the postponement of regional talks on shipping through the strait.
Oman postpones Hormuz talks
Oman postponed Monday’s planned meeting between Iran and Gulf states on a temporary shipping lane through the Strait of Hormuz. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said the decision was taken “in the interests of consensus”.
The announcement came as the Houthis launched another drone-and-missile attack on a military base in southern Saudi Arabia. Oman has not announced a new date for the talks.
Preliminary tracking data recorded seven ships passing through Hormuz last Thursday, down from 11 the previous day. Iran had planned to use the meeting to discuss rules for a temporary route through the strait.
Sheikh Khaled meets Putin
Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday during the BRICS summit in New Delhi.
They discussed UAE-Russia relations and exchanged views on regional and international issues. During the summit, Sheikh Khaled also held separate talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
BRICS members unanimously adopted the New Delhi Declaration. The 45-page document contains 140 points and calls for “maximum restraint” in the Middle East.
Dubai tourism begins to recover
Arabian Travel Market enters its second day at Dubai World Trade Centre today. The event runs until Thursday.
As the event opened on Monday, flydubai said it had restored operations to 85% of its network. The airline now serves more than 125 destinations in 56 countries.
The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism reported 869,000 international overnight visitors in August, the highest monthly total since February. Dubai welcomed 6.97 million visitors in the first eight months of the year, while hotel occupancy reached 66% in August.
UAE mourns two servicemen
The Ministry of Defence announced on Monday that two servicemen had died during a training mission in the UAE. It named them as Major Abdullah Shamis Al Menhali and candidate Saeed Abdullah Al Shamsi.
The ministry offered its condolences to their families. A military funeral was held at Zayed Military Hospital on Monday.
The ministry gave no further details about the mission.
E311 limit falls to 100km/h
Abu Dhabi reduced the speed limit on a section of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Road, the E311, from 120km/h to 100km/h on Monday. The new limit applies in both directions.
Drivers using the road today should follow the revised signs.
Patent-fee exemptions begin
Student inventors and People of Determination are now exempt from specified government fees for patents and other industrial-property services.
Cabinet Resolution No. 136 of 2026 covers services including applications for patents, utility models, industrial designs and integrated-circuit layouts. It took effect on Monday.
The exemptions apply only to the services listed in the resolution.
— Steve
Steve Moore
Emirates Wire · launched 9 September 2026 at the National Liberal Club, London
emirateswire.co.uk · steve@emirateswire.co.uk
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