Fearing Red Sea disruptions, Saudi Arabia pushes Trump to lift Iran blockade: Report
Saudi Arabia is reportedly pressing the United States to end its illegal naval blockade against Iran, warning that it could disrupt other critical shipping routes in the region.
US President Donald Trump announced the blockade on Iranian ports on Sunday after Pakistan-mediated peace talks ended without an agreement over the weekend. The US military claimed the blockade took effect on Monday.
The Wall Street Journal, citing regional officials on Tuesday, reported that Persian Gulf states warn that retaliation by Iran and its allies could extend beyond the Strait of Hormuz and jeopardize the Red Sea chokepoint of Bab al-Mandeb.
The report said these states, including Saudi Arabia, are urging Washington to return to negotiations and “resolve the issue at the negotiating table.”
According to the daily, Washington and Tehran are “actively engaging with mediators and open to talks if each shows enough flexibility.”
Iran is continuously exchanging messages with Pakistan amid Islamabad’s efforts to mediate a permanent end to the US-Israeli aggression, according to a report.
Qatar has also urged Iran and the US to resume negotiations, stressing the importance of “sustainable security” and the “safety of navigation” in the Persian Gulf.
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran has already driven global energy prices higher, with further consequences for exports.
Since the US and Israel launched the unprovoked war on Iran on February 28, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has restricted the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil and gas supply previously passed.
The IRGC has warned that the illegal naval siege will ultimately harm the global economy.
Meanwhile, analysts say Yemen’s Ansarullah resistance movement could move to close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a key waterway linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, adding yet “another layer” of pressure on global shipping.
Ahmed Nagi, a senior Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group, said Yemen’s armed forces are fully capable of shutting down the route, which remains critical for Saudi Arabia’s remaining oil exports.
“If the US moves to impose a blockade on Iranian ports and Iran starts feeling the pressure, Ansarullah is very likely to escalate in the Bab al-Mandeb,” he told the Associated Press.
Yemen has repeatedly warned that its armed forces could restrict maritime traffic in their regional waters, a strategy they used against Israel, the United States, and their allies during the Gaza genocide in 2023.
