Saudi Arabia was forced to redirect its oil exports through Bab al-Mandab after the Strait of Hormuz was closed by Iran
News Desk - The Cradle
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The blockade of Hormuz announced by US President Donald Trump on Sunday, following the breakdown of talks with Iran in Pakistan the day before, is aimed at raising the pressure on Iran’s already weakened economy.
The Arab officials cited by WSJ warned that “Saudi Arabia has warned Iran might retaliate by closing the Bab al-Mandab – a Red Sea chokepoint crucial for the kingdom’s remaining oil exports.”
After the US and Israel launched an unprovoked war on Iran on 28 February, traffic through the Strait of Hormuz came to an effective halt, amid threats from Iran to target “enemy-linked” vessels, and as western financial firms canceled maritime insurance for any ships wishing to pass through the strait.
As a result, Saudi officials were forced to halt oil exports through Hormuz and redirect their oil production through the East–West Pipeline, which terminates at the Yanbu port on the Red Sea near Bab al-Mandab.
However, “Those supplies would be at risk if the Red Sea’s exit route were closed as well,” WSJ wrote.
Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, which is close to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that now controls the Strait of Hormuz, said a US blockade of the strait could lead the country to close the Red Sea gateway through Bab al-Mandab.
Iran could close off Bab al-Mandab and again cut off Saudi exports if it receives help from its ally, Yemen, led by Ansarallah.
In December 2024, Yemeni forces effectively closed Bab al-Mandab by attacking US and Israeli-linked ships passing through the strait in retaliation for Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
Washington sent two aircraft carriers, six B-2 bombers, a squadron of advanced F-35 fighters, and destroyers armed with guided missiles to the strait in response. They carried out a 53-day bombing campaign against Yemen before they were required to withdraw amid Yemeni attacks.
Iran is now putting pressure on Yemen to close Bab al-Mandab again, the Arab officials speaking with WSJ claim.
“President Trump has been clear that he wants the Strait of Hormuz to be fully open to facilitate the free flow of energy,” said White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly. “The administration is in frequent contact with our Gulf allies, who the president is helping by ensuring that Iran cannot extort the United States or any other country.”
Gulf states are concerned about Iran’s current control of the Strait of Hormuz. The Saudi kingdom and others are asking Trump to “resolve the issue at the negotiating table and are scrambling to restart talks,” WSJ wrote, citing regional officials.
Ali Akbar Velayati, a foreign-policy advisor to Iran’s supreme leader, said on 5 April on social media that Iran looks at Bab al-Mandab “just as it looks at Hormuz. And if the White House thinks of repeating its stupid mistakes, it will quickly realize that the flow of global energy and trade can be disrupted with a single signal.”
Saudi energy officials told WSJ that Riyadh had secured commitments from Ansarallah that Yemeni forces would not attack the kingdom or its ships passing through Bab al-Mandab.
WSJ added that according to its Arab sources, the Saudis have communicated to Washington that the “situation remains fluid,” and that Yemen could enter the conflict more aggressively if requested by Iran.
“That would then be a way for Iran to escalate back, saying that if you’re going to restrict our oil exports, we will then disrupt your Yanbu terminal exports,” said Erik Meyersson, the chief emerging markets strategist at the Swedish bank SEB.
Tuesday's WSJ report contradicts the newspaper's previous reports and other western news outlets claiming that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) had been pushing Trump to continue the war against Iran.
On 24 March, the New York Times (NYT) claimed that MbS had told Trump that he must “press toward the destruction of Iran's hard-line government.”
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