International
oi-Ashish Rana
Saudi Arabia is reportedly urging the United States to reconsider its blockade of Iranian shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, amid fears that the move could trigger a broader regional escalation and endanger other critical maritime chokepoints vital to Gulf oil exports. The concern comes as the ongoing US-Israel war against Iran and Tehran’s closure of Hormuz continue to disrupt one of the world’s most important energy corridors.
Saudi Arabia is reportedly urging the US to reconsider its blockade of Iranian shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, fearing potential Iranian retaliation against the critical Bab al-Mandeb chokepoint and wider regional escalation.
Riyadh pushes for diplomacy as blockade risks wider escalation
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Riyadh is now “pressing” the Donald Trump administration to “drop its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and return to the negotiating table”. Arab officials cited by the publication said Saudi Arabia fears that the US decision could push Iran towards further escalation, potentially targeting other strategic shipping routes across the region.
The American move to blockade all Iranian shipments entering or leaving through the Strait of Hormuz is aimed at intensifying pressure on Iran’s already weakened economy. However, Saudi Arabia is said to have warned Washington that Tehran may retaliate by attempting to shut down the Bab al-Mandeb, a crucial Red Sea chokepoint that has become central to the kingdom’s remaining oil export route.
Gulf states fear Bab al-Mandeb could become the next flashpoint
Over the six weeks of conflict, Iran has demonstrated both its capacity and willingness to disrupt maritime traffic and strike sensitive infrastructure across the Gulf, dramatically reshaping the strategic calculations of neighbouring states. For countries whose economies are heavily tied to energy exports, the threat is no longer theoretical.
Saudi Arabia has managed to restore oil exports to their pre-war level of around seven million barrels a day by diverting crude across the desert to the Red Sea while Iran’s blockade of Hormuz remained in place. But those exports could face fresh danger if the Bab al-Mandeb route is also targeted.
That concern is heightened by the fact that the long coastline near the Bab al-Mandeb is controlled by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who are aligned with Iran. The Houthis, part of Iran’s wider axis of resistance, had already caused severe disruptions in the waterway during much of the Gaza war. Arab officials told the Wall Street Journal that Iran is now increasing pressure on the group to once again threaten or close the passage.
“If Iran does want to shut down Bab al-Mandeb, the Houthis are the obvious partner to do it, and their response to the Gaza conflict demonstrates that they have the capacity to do it,” Adam Baron, an expert on Yemen and fellow at New America, a policy institute in Washington, told WSJ.
Iran signals Red Sea retaliation if US pressure continues
Iran has increasingly hinted that it may widen the maritime confrontation if the US continues to squeeze its shipping routes. Tasnim, Iran’s semiofficial news agency with close links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has reported that the American blockade of Iranian ports could lead Tehran to target the Red Sea gateway as well.
Ali Akbar Velayati, a foreign-policy adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, issued a direct warning in a social media post on April 5, saying Tehran views the Bab al-Mandeb “just as it looks at Hormuz. And if the White House thinks of repeating its stupid mistakes, it will quickly realise that the flow of global energy and trade can be disrupted with a single signal.”
On Monday, Iran’s armed forces also warned neighbouring states that their own maritime security could come under threat if the US interferes with Iranian ports.
“If the security of Iran’s ports in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman is threatened, no port in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman will be safe,” Iran’s armed forces said in a statement published by state-run IRIB News.
US says Gulf allies support move, but war exposes fragile regional balance
The conflict has laid bare the extreme vulnerability of the Middle East’s energy infrastructure, and Saudi Arabia’s reported pushback highlights the limits of Washington’s strategy in trying to force open the critical waterway. In peacetime, roughly 20 per cent of global oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LNG) flows through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s closure of the strait has already cut off around 13 million barrels a day in oil exports, pushing futures prices above $100 a barrel.
The US blockade of Iranian ports formally took effect on Monday, even as the White House insisted that Gulf allies were aligned with the move.
“President Trump has been clear that he wants the Strait of Hormuz to be fully open to facilitate the free flow of energy… The administration is in frequent contact with our Gulf allies, whom the President is helping by ensuring that Iran cannot extort the United States or any other country,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.
The six-week war has also exposed the collapse of the quiet regional understanding that had long kept direct confrontation between Iran and Gulf Arab states in check. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Iraq, despite being close US partners, had largely avoided open conflict with Tehran for years because of the massive economic risks involved.
That fragile balance now appears to have broken down. Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the first in history, has sent shockwaves through the Gulf and the wider global economy. While Gulf states do not want the war to conclude with Iran retaining leverage over the strait that underpins their economies, several of them, including Saudi Arabia, are now said to be pushing Washington towards negotiations rather than deeper military or economic escalation.
