Saudi Arabia asks US to end Strait of Hormuz blockade | The Jerusalem Post

Summary

Saudi Arabia is pressing the United States to end its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and return to negotiations with Iran, according to a The Wall Street Journal report published on Tuesday. The report said Riyadh fears the standoff could trigger a broader regional escalation, including threats to Red Sea shipping routes and Saudi oil exports. The concern comes as the US blockade, announced by President Donald Trump after talks with Iran failed, has intensified pressure on one of the world’s most sensitive energy chokepoints. Saudi officials appear to be weighing not only the direct risks in the Gulf, but also the possibility that Iran could respond through allied forces elsewhere in the region. According to the report, Saudi Arabia is especially concerned that Iran could use the Houthis in Yemen to threaten the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a critical Red Sea route. Such a move would put additional pressure on Saudi export routes and deepen disruptions already affecting global energy markets. Gulf states have already faced Iranian missile and drone attacks on energy infrastructure, airports, and urban centers during the current confrontation, sharpening fears that any escalation around Hormuz could quickly spread. Trump announced on Sunday that the United States would begin blockading vessels entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, framing the move as a response to Iran’s conduct and its refusal to make sufficient concessions in talks. He also said the US Navy had been instructed to interdict vessels in international waters that had paid tolls to Iran. Sanctioned Chinese tanker exits Gulf amid blockade The effects on shipping were visible by Tuesday, when a sanctioned Chinese tanker became the first vessel to exit the Gulf through Hormuz since the blockade began, according to shipping data cited in recent coverage. Separate reporting also highlighted warnings that traffic through the strait may not fully return to previous levels if the crisis persists. For Riyadh, the issue is not only oil prices, but strategic exposure. Saudi Arabia has maintained some export resilience through Red Sea routes, but renewed insecurity around Bab al-Mandeb would threaten one of its main alternatives to Hormuz. Both Washington and Tehran may still be open to renewed diplomacy despite the confrontation. For Saudi Arabia, that possibility appears preferable to a prolonged crisis in which pressure on Hormuz simply shifts the threat to another maritime chokepoint, while the strait remains central to global energy flows.