Hmm…I’m gonna hafta call BS on this. While the threat of Iran shutting down the Hormuz (or attempting to) is significant, a huge oil pipeline crossing enourmous swaths of undefendable terrain is a security nightmare. The Saudi’s are having enough problems defending the installations they have now…thus the new security force. This just sounds like more idle threats against Iran.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen have launched the vast Trans-Arabia Oil Pipeline project.
By criss-crossing Arabia overland, the oil pipelines will bypass the Straits of Hormuz on the Persian Gulf to remove Gulf oil routes from the possible threat of closure by Iran.
A 35,000-strong new Saudi security force will protect the new project from attack.
American advisers are vetting the new recruits and are checking family, tribal and past associations to weed out religious extremists.
The first Trans-Arabia pipeline will carry 5 million barrels of oil a day, almost one third of the 17 million barrels produced by Gulf emirates. – Malaysia Sun
