Hisham Sharaf Abdullah, Yemen's minister of petroleum and mineral resources, said the nation's economy lost over $4 billion in revenue because of suspended oil production from the Safer-Ras Issa pipeline, the state news agency Saba reported Monday (July 2nd).

Abdullah said the halting of oil production from the pipeline will hurt Yemen's economic potential.

As a result of repeated attacks, the pipeline has not been operating since February 2011 with the exception of September, he said.

Abdullah said the government is working to open the pipeline before Ramadan.