The WSJ reported on Saudi Arabia's demand for the United States to lift the blockade of Hormuz.

Saudi Arabia is putting pressure on the United States to lift the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and return to the negotiating table. This was reported by The Wall Street Journal on April 14, citing officials.

"The blockade is aimed at increasing pressure on Iran's already weakened economy. However, officials said Iran could retaliate by closing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a bottleneck in the Red Sea that is crucial to the kingdom's remaining oil exports," the material says.

Iran's Houthi allies in Yemen control a long stretch of coast near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and have "seriously disrupted" the waterway throughout most of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. According to Arab officials, Iran is putting pressure on the group to close this strategically important point again.

"The Houthis have largely remained aloof from the current conflict between the United States and Iran. However, they remain an important part of the broader network of Iranian militia groups in the region and a deterrent in reserve in case Iran needs to increase pressure on the United States," the article says.

The Houthis said that the closure of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait is also one of the options for "solving the problem."

"If Iran really wants to close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, then the Houthis are an obvious partner for this, and their response to the conflict in Gaza demonstrates that they have the necessary capabilities for this," said Adam Baron, an expert on Yemen and a researcher at the New America think tank in Washington.

The authors of the article noted that the Persian Gulf countries do not want the war to end with Iran controlling the Strait of Hormuz, which is a vital economic route for them. However, many, including Saudi Arabia, are putting pressure on the United States to resolve the issue at the negotiating table.

Artery and pressure: the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz increases the risk of military escalation

The United States is threatening Tehran with new strikes, Israel has announced the encirclement of a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon.

On April 13, the Central Command of the US Armed Forces (CENTCOM) announced the beginning of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by the United States due to the failure of negotiations between Washington and Tehran. It is carried out against ships of all countries entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports in the Arabian and Oman Gulfs.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted on the same day that the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by the United States would negatively affect international energy markets. According to him, Moscow is ready to help resolve the conflict.

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