The International Energy Agency (IEA) has described the current shutdown of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz as the largest supply disruption on record, eclipsing the oil shocks of the 1970s and the loss of Russian pipeline gas after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. This assessment underscores the strategic vulnerability of the world’s most important oil chokepoint. With the U.S.‑Israeli war with Iran halting tanker traffic, Middle‑East exporters are forced to look for alternative routes. The limited network of bypass pipelines and potential new projects now shapes the region’s export strategy and could influence global oil prices for the medium term. Saudi Arabia’s 1,200‑km East‑West pipeline can transport up to 7 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, with effective exports estimated at around 4.5 million bpd depending on tanker and jetty availability. From Yanbu, shipments can reach Europe via the Suez Canal or Asia via the Bab el‑Mandeb strait, though the latter carries security risks from Yemen’s Houthi militants. The UAE’s 360‑km Habshan‑Fujairah pipeline, operated by ADNOC and commissioned in 2012, has a capacity of about 1.5‑1.8 million bpd, but oil loadings at Fujairah have been affected by drone attacks since the Iran war began at the end of February. Iraq’s Kirkuk‑Ceyhan line, which restarted last September after a 2‑½‑year shutdown, is currently pumping 170,000 bpd and aims to reach 250,000 bpd after SOMO signed export contracts via Turkey, Jordan and Syria. Other potential bypasses include a proposed Iraq‑Oman pipeline from Basra to Duqm, still in the conceptual stage, and an Iraq‑Jordan line that would ship crude to Aqaba, a project stalled by cost and security hurdles. Iran may also use the 1 million bpd Goreh‑Jask pipeline to feed a Jask terminal, though the loading facility is not yet fully complete. A conceptual Gulf‑of‑Oman canal, while technically feasible, would face extreme engineering challenges and could cost hundreds of billions of dollars. Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis; additional reporting by Seher Dareen in London; Editing by Nina Chestney and Tomasz Janowski