S&P says Saudi Arabia's diversified energy export infrastructure and elevated oil prices mitigate pressure from the Middle East conflict.

Security and defense analyst Wolfgang Pushtauyi said the drone attack on a Saudi oil pipeline was carried out by Iranian proxies in Iraq and is very likely to have been ordered by Tehran. He said Tehran views the strike as supporting Houthi aims to force a Saudi withdrawal from Yemen; rising pressure on Riyadh increases the odds of such a withdrawal and could prompt Tehran to tighten restrictions around the Strait of Hormuz to prevent Saudi attempts to bypass it, signaling to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states that Iran is untrustworthy.

U.S. Central Command said as of Sept. 11 it had forced 99 merchant vessels to reroute to ensure compliance with relevant requirements.