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Gulf countries' plans to bypass Hormuz still far off, experts warn
Experts say pipelines, rail links and port diversions could ease dependence on the Strait of Hormuz, but costs and politics remain major barriers.
- Faced with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Gulf nations are seeking to bypass Tehran's control over their exports, though Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain remain dependent on the narrow maritime passage.
- Badr Jafar, the UAE special envoy for business and philanthropy, insisted the Gulf would never "return to a posture of strategic dependence on a narrow strait controlled by an unpredictable neighbour," arguing additional pipeline and port capacity must be built.
- Ships now divert to Oman and Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast for overland transport because Dubai's Jebel Ali hub remains inaccessible, though Frederic Schneider noted costs are "significantly higher."
- "The idea of a trans-Arabian gas pipeline has occasionally been floated but never progressed," said Schneider, warning that fiscal crises intensify the "beggar-thy-neighbour, zero-sum economic rivalry" marking Gulf Cooperation Council national policies.
- Robert Mogielnicki of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Paris stated infrastructure projects "will take time" and "still possess vulnerabilities," though regional tensions may support integration despite serious economic headwinds.
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Gulf countries' plans to bypass Hormuz still far off, experts warn
The war in the Middle East has forced the Gulf monarchies to rethink their oil and trade routes, but rerouting them will be no simple task, experts say.
·Missoula, United States
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Total News Sources18
Leaning Left0Leaning Right8Center6Last UpdatedBias Distribution57% Right
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources lean Right
57% Right
C 43%
R 57%
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