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The oil pipelines that could decide the Iran war
Iran is betting it can win by imposing an intolerable economic cost on the US. One thing might change that.
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The East-West pipeline's raison d’etre is to meet this historic moment: Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Javier Blas
Iran’s strategy in its war with the US and Israel is by now clear: Impose an intolerable economic cost on US President Donald Trump, forcing him to abandon his “war of choice” as US petrol prices surge. Is there any way the Islamic republic’s blueprint for survival can fail? Yes, if its old regional nemesis, Saudi Arabia, can cushion the oil market.
Enter the East-West pipeline, a 1,200km conduit criss-crossing the Arabian Peninsula from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea. Its raison d’etre is to meet this historic moment: Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The Saudis built it 45 years ago thinking that, one day, Tehran would manage to do what was then unthinkable and halt shipments through the narrow waterway.
