U.S. Diesel Prices Hit All-Time High Amid Global Energy Crisis

The booster pumping station of the east-west pipeline in Saudi Arabia has been charred black by fire.

Local time on September 10, at least two locations along this pipeline were targeted in a drone attack presumed to be carried out by pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, forcing operations to halt.

With the Strait of Hormuz blocked, even the pipeline that had been transporting up to 7 million barrels of crude oil per day to the Red Sea port of Yanbu has now been shut down.

Furthermore, Yemen's pro-Iranian Houthi rebels have seized Red Sea coastal cities and islands in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance of the Red Sea, advancing to within about 30 kilometers of a U.S. military base in Djibouti across the strait, and have continued their momentum by striking key Saudi inland air force bases.

[Yahya Saree / Houthi Military Spokesperson: We precisely struck military facilities at Saudi Arabia's King Khalid Air Base, including hangars, radar, runways, and ammunition depots.]

In the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's control remains tight as a Panama-flagged very large crude carrier was attacked and exploded.

Saudi Arabia, which was the world's largest crude exporter before the war, now finds it difficult even to bring crude oil to the Red Sea due to the destroyed pipeline, while Iran blocks export routes in Hormuz and the Houthis block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait—making it nearly impossible to send oil to Egypt's Suez Canal either.

Coupled with Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil refineries, Saudi Arabia's plunging crude exports have driven international oil prices above the $105 mark.

In the United States in particular, diesel prices have soared 68% since the war, reaching an all-time high of $6.23 per gallon.

[Richard Meade / Editor-in-Chief, Lloyd's List: Lengthened detours and logistical disruptions are severe, and this is precisely why oil prices are spiking.]

Trump, who claimed that the surge in diesel prices was due to the Russia-Ukraine war, stated that Russia and Ukraine agreed to halt attacks on energy facilities. However, attacks on energy facilities by both sides, including areas densely packed with gas stations, continued today (September 15).

Saudi Arabia's Crude Export Routes Completely Blocked... Red Flag for International Oil Prices (September 15, 2026, 8 News)

Reported by Kim Min-pyo | Written by Choi Yoon-seo | Video by Kim Byeong-jik | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.