Context & sources

The news context

Saudi Arabia said its East-West oil pipeline was shut as a precaution after multiple attacks on 10 September. The Saudi Energy Ministry said the attacks caused injuries, while the Foreign Ministry said several drones had been launched from Iraq. On 12 September, Iraq said attacks on Saudi Arabia had originated from a site in Maysan province and announced an investigation and the dismissal of a local operations commander. Responsibility for launching the drones has not been established publicly in the sources used here.

At the same time, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis captured the Red Sea port of Mokha and then Mayun, also known as Perim, an island inside the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Reuters and AP reported that the advance increases pressure on a shipping route that had become more important as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was severely disrupted by the wider Iran war.

The cartoon turns those three pressure points into literal route choices. The barricaded HORMUZ door is a metaphor for severe disruption rather than a claim that every vessel is physically unable to transit. The damaged pipeline door represents the confirmed attacks and precautionary shutdown. The HOUTHI watchtower represents the group's new position on Mayun; it does not claim that the Houthis have closed or fully control Bab el-Mandeb. “PLAN C?” is fictional satire, not a quotation.

This cartoon is satire. Its visual dialogue is invented; the linked reporting provides the factual background.

  1. Reuters: Saudis shut down oil pipeline as Houthis tighten grip on Red Sea shipping ↗
  2. AP: Saudi Arabia shuts down a pipeline as Houthis seize an island, opening a new front in the Iran war ↗
  3. AP: Iraq confirms attacks on Saudi pipeline originated from Iraqi territory ↗
  4. Saudi Press Agency / Ministry of Energy: East-West Pipeline Shut Down as a Precaution Following Multiple Attacks ↗
  5. Saudi Press Agency / Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Saudi Arabia Condemns Drone Attack on East-West Pipeline ↗
Read the comic transcript

A worried black oil barrel with arms, legs and the word OIL on its side stands in a shipping-control room scratching its head.

To the left, a doorway labelled HORMUZ is blocked with striped barricades, chains and a padlock.

In the centre, a door labelled EAST-WEST PIPELINE has a blasted hole, cracks and a small plume of smoke.

To the right, a large window is labelled BAB EL-MANDEB. A tanker is sailing through the water while a shore watchtower is labelled HOUTHI.

The oil barrel's speech bubble reads: PLAN C?

The footer reads: comicoftheday.com · 12 SEP 2026 · SATIRE.