{
  "id": 12124631,
  "title": "Middle East oil exports return to pre-war levels, excluding Iran",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/middle-east-oil-exports-return-to-pre-war-levels-excluding-iran",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-05T09:53:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euronews",
    "slug": "euronews",
    "url": "https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/05/middle-east-oil-exports-return-to-pre-war-levels-excluding-iran"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In September, Middle East Gulf crude oil exports, excluding Iran, reclaimed pre-war levels, according to tracking firm Kpler. At least 16.5 million barrels per day (mbd) left the region during the month, matching the pre-war average excluding Iran. This represents a 10.5 mbd increase from March's monthly average. However, 40% of these exports now bypass the Strait of Hormuz, up from 17% before the war, utilizing pipelines in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as key alternatives. Most of the crude passing through the strait is transported offshore in tankers. The exported crude oil and condensate include shipments via the Red Sea, which exporters increasingly utilize to circumvent Iran’s attempted blockade of Hormuz. While oil prices remain significantly above pre-war levels, with Brent crude futures for December delivery trading at $102.25 a barrel and US benchmark West Texas Intermediate at $90.50 a barrel, the recovery in exports has sent shockwaves through the global economy, prompting countries to seek alternatives and driving fuel prices up. Iran persistently claims control over the waterway, and ships bypassing its authorization risk attack. Nevertheless, more vessels are navigating around the strait, and alternative routes are operating at full capacity. Despite the export recovery, experts caution that conditions are far from normal, as a US blockade of Iranian ports continues to restrict a large portion of Iran’s oil exports. Saudi Arabia has benefited from the reopening of its East–West pipeline, allowing oil from its main fields in the east to reach the Red Sea terminal at Yanbu without passing through Hormuz. The pipeline, which was shut down on September 11 due to strikes from Iraq, resumed operations on September 22. The UAE also has a pipeline route around Hormuz, connecting Abu Dhabi’s oil fields to Fujairah, a terminal on the Gulf of Oman outside the strait. The export recovery follows the decision by the seven core members of OPEC+, which includes Russia, to keep their production targets unchanged for November. In August, the seven countries produced about 25 million barrels of crude oil per day, up 630,000 barrels per day from July, according to OPEC’s September report.",
  "summary": "Oil exports from the Middle East, excluding Iran, exceeded their pre-war average last week, Kpler data showed, as pipelines helped bypass the Strait of Hormuz despite continued attacks on shipping.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}