Saudi Arabia's September exports hit a new high since the outbreak of the Iran war, surging nearly 80% month-on-month.

According to trade intelligence firm Kpler, Saudi Arabia's crude oil exports surged this month despite a sharp escalation of conflict with Yemen's Houthi militants. Saudi Arabia's crude oil exports reached 6 million barrels per day in September, the highest level since the outbreak of the Iran war about seven months ago. The country's crude oil export volume has returned to its 2025 monthly average. Although Saudi Arabia was forced to shut down a key east-west pipeline this month due to drone attacks launched from Iraq, the country still managed to increase its crude oil exports. September exports surged nearly 80% from 3.4 million barrels per day in August. According to Kpler data, the seven-day average of oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz reached 13.2 million barrels per day on Wednesday, compared with about 17 million barrels per day before the Iran conflict disrupted shipping. Matt Smith, Kpler's head of commodity research, said: "The surge in Persian Gulf crude oil exports was partly driven by the pipeline shutdown, but it also shows that confidence in routing through the Strait of Hormuz is strengthening as traffic rises."