Why don’t Gulf Countries Simply Bypass the Strait of Hormuz

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:00]The world keeps asking the same question. If the Strait of Hormuz is blocked, why don't Gulf countries simply bypass it? [music] On paper, the solution already exists. The United Arab Emirates built a pipeline connecting Abu Dhabi's oil fields directly to Fujairah port on the Arabian Sea, completely outside the Strait of Hormuz. [music] Saudi Arabia did the same, moving oil across the desert to Yanbu port on the Red Sea. At first glance, it looks like the Gulf prepared for this exact scenario, [music] but reality is far more brutal. These pipelines were never designed to replace the [music] Strait entirely. Even at maximum capacity, they can carry only a fraction of the oil that normally flows through Hormuz [music] every single day. And most Gulf nations aren't even connected to them.

[00:00:40]Countries like Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain remain trapped inside [music] the Gulf with no direct alternative route to global markets. In theory, oil could be redirected through the UAE using tankers, trucks, [music] and temporary transfers. In reality, the cost would be enormous, the logistics chaotic, [music] and the delays catastrophic. But that's not even the biggest problem. Iran already targeted Fujairah itself, proving that the safe escape [music] routes may not be safe at all. That's the real danger of Hormuz.

[00:01:07]It's not just a shipping lane, it's the narrow artery holding together the global energy system.