Saudi Arabia has intensified its diplomatic efforts through Oman’s mediation to prevent the further deepening of military tension in the Red Sea and the expansion of the scale of the conflict with the Houthis.
Sea-news.az reports that alongside diplomatic contacts, Riyadh is also preparing for a scenario of retaliatory military operations should the negotiations fail.
In closed diplomatic meetings, the US administration has urged Riyadh to refrain from a large-scale military intervention against attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. Washington believes that a military escalation could further paralyze international shipping passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, jeopardize global maritime logistics, and destabilize energy markets. Furthermore, the deepening of the conflict could drag the Kingdom into a direct confrontation with Iran.
To recall, after the Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia on July 20, the coalition led by Riyadh announced that it had begun protecting commercial vessels and tankers in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. In response, claiming that the naval blockade had been violated, the Houthis stated that they had targeted two oil tankers belonging to Saudi Arabia with missiles and kamikaze UAVs.
