Saudi Arabia urges US to lift Hormuz blockade amid fears of wider escalation: report
Riyadh pushes for renewed diplomacy with Iran, warning that the standoff could spill into other oil shipping chokepoints and threaten global energy flows The Wall Street Journal reports.
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 report by The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.
The blockade, announced by Donald Trump, took effect at 1400 GMT on Monday after talks between Washington and Tehran collapsed over the weekend in Islamabad. The negotiations were part of wider efforts to halt the conflict involving Iran, which has left thousands of people dead across the region since late February.
Riyadh is increasingly concerned that the move could provoke Iranian retaliation beyond the Strait of Hormuz, particularly targeting the Bab al Mandeb, a vital Red Sea corridor for Saudi oil exports.
“Gulf states don’t want the war to end with Iran in control of the Strait of Hormuz, their economic lifeline,” the report noted, highlighting the high stakes for regional economies heavily dependent on energy shipments.
Despite tough public rhetoric from both Washington and Tehran, the report said both sides remain engaged through mediators and are open to resuming talks if conditions allow.
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states are now racing to revive diplomacy, hoping to prevent further disruption to global oil routes and avoid a deeper regional escalation.