Pakistan warned that an attack on its tanker, reported stranded near the then-shut Saudi East-West Pipeline, would be treated as an "act of war". Pakistan Today reported that the empty vessel was stranded in the Red Sea while Pakistan considered its options for moving it. Reuters subsequently reported a partial pipeline restart on September 22; the tanker's later location is not established here.
Malik, speaking to a private television channel, said the tanker would ultimately have to be moved regardless of the circumstances. "We will have to move it one way or another," Malik said, while noting that Saudi authorities had asked Pakistan to keep the vessel on standby for the time being.
Why the tanker was reported stranded
The vessel was reported stranded near the Red Sea end of Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline, a critical route Saudi Arabia uses to move crude oil to the Red Sea without passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The pipeline was shut down following drone attacks that Saudi Arabia and Iraq said originated from Iraq.
Malik said Pakistan was weighing several options for the tanker, including keeping it near the pipeline until operations resumed, rerouting it through Oman or the United Arab Emirates, or sourcing crude from Libya instead.
He also warned that a prolonged disruption to crude supplies could put pressure on Pakistan's diesel supply, making the duration of the disruption important for domestic fuel planning.
A Defence Pact in the Background
Pakistan's warning came against the backdrop of a trilateral defence agreement involving Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye. The agreement established a broader framework for collective defence cooperation among the three countries.
Pakistan has said an armed attack on Saudi Arabia could have implications under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. However, the public material cited in this article does not establish that an attack on a Pakistan-flagged commercial tanker would automatically trigger the pact.
That distinction is important. Malik's "act of war" warning concerned the security of the tanker, while the circumstances in which the trilateral defence agreement could be invoked involve a separate political and legal question.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry had also condemned drone attacks affecting Saudi Arabia and reaffirmed Islamabad's support for Saudi sovereignty and security. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif separately condemned an attack targeting the holy city of Makkah.
The Bigger Picture
The disruption came amid wider regional security tensions affecting Saudi territory, energy infrastructure and important shipping routes.
For Pakistan, the immediate concern was maintaining access to crude supplies while deciding whether the tanker should remain on standby or be redirected through another route.
The alternatives discussed by Malik showed that Islamabad was considering both logistical and supply options rather than relying on a single route while the pipeline remained unavailable.
Later pipeline development
Update, October 2, 2026: Reuters reported on September 22 that Saudi Arabia had restarted its East-West Pipeline at a low pumping rate. The report, citing sources briefed on the matter, distinguished that restart from a return to full operations.
The restart changes the pipeline status described in the original report. It does not establish whether Pakistan's tanker subsequently moved, loaded crude or selected another route. The options Malik discussed remain a record of the contingency plans reported at the time.
Update, October 2, 2026: This article has been reviewed to clarify the opening attribution and separate Pakistan's warning concerning the stranded tanker from the broader question of how the trilateral defence agreement could apply. The article does not claim that an attack on the commercial tanker would automatically trigger the defence pact.
