At UN, Saudi FM warns world failing to protect Gulf shipping

Saudi Arabia warned United Nations members on Saturday that failure to protect Middle East waterways threatens global energy security.

Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan urged the international community to do more to defend freedom of navigation, pointing to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab Strait since late February.

Why is Gulf shipping under threat?

Iran has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz since the United States and Israel launched their war on Iran in late February. Its Houthi allies in Yemen have done the same in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Both waterways carry vital oil and gas exports, making Gulf shipping a global energy security concern.

"The international community has been absent from assuming its responsibilities in confronting all that threatens international peace and security," Bin Farhan told the UN General Assembly.

He said the kingdom "stresses the importance of guaranteeing the protection of freedom of navigation in all international waterways, foremost among them the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden."

What is Saudi Arabia demanding from the UN?

Bin Farhan called for "the return of conditions in the Strait of Hormuz to what they were before February 28," without any fees or taxes imposed on shipping.

The kingdom rejected any party's use of these waterways "as a tool for pressure, threat, or harm to the interests of states," saying this would be consistent with international law and relevant UN resolutions.

Bin Farhan's remarks came shortly after US President Donald Trump rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran had offered the deal in exchange for a Middle East ceasefire and the release of frozen Iranian assets, among other conditions.