PNN – An American newspaper revealed that Saudi Arabia has intervened to lift Donald Trump’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz so that Ansarullah forces do not attempt to block the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network; Saudi Arabia is pressuring the United States to lift its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, as energy exporters in the Persian Gulf are concerned about Iran tightening its blockade and closing the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The report, citing Arab officials, revealed that Saudi Arabia has also warned Iran that it could retaliate by closing the vital waterway of the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the Red Sea, which is crucial for Riyadh’s oil exports.
The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has cut off about 13 million barrels per day of oil exports and pushed futures prices above $100 per barrel.
Adam Baron, a Yemeni expert and fellow at the New America Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, said: If Iran wants to close Bab al-Mandab, Yemeni forces are the most suitable partner to achieve this, and their response to the conflict in Gaza demonstrates their ability to do so.
The newspaper reported that the Gulf States do not want the war to end with Iran controlling the Strait of Hormuz, but many of them, including Saudi Arabia, are pressuring the United States to resolve the issue through negotiations and are trying to resume talks.
Wall Street continued: Any attack on ships in the Bab al-Mandab would be a major concern for Saudi Arabia, which has shifted a large portion of its crude oil exports from its Ras Tanura facility in the Persian Gulf to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea.
Before the Gaza war, 9.3 million barrels of oil and petroleum products passed through the Bab al-Mandab Strait. That number has been halved since Yemeni attacks on ships around the Bab al-Mandab Strait in support of Gaza.
Trump last year sent two aircraft carriers, six B-2 bombers, a squadron of advanced F-35 fighter jets and guided-missile destroyers to the war against Sanaa, but during that time, Yemeni armed forces inflicted heavy losses on American forces, forcing Trump to back down.