Israeli officials are considering using the Eilat–Ashkelon pipeline to transfer Saudi oil to Europe; the pipeline, which was built in the late 1960s with the secret participation of Iran during the era of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Israel, was intended to transfer Iran’s oil to Europe without passing through the Suez Canal.

In a report, the analytical website NDTV said that increased threats to sea routes in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb have brought this plan back into focus.

The report says that Eli Cohen, Israel’s energy minister, proposed the plan to Washington in early July, and the matter was raised at the cabinet level.

According to NDTV, implementing the plan still faces serious political and technical obstacles; including the lack of official relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, the need for extensive investment to develop infrastructure, and the risk of attacks on this route.

The report also quotes an Israeli analyst, saying that realizing this idea depends above all on Riyadh’s political decision.