Oil Minister Tariq Al-Roumi told Japan’s Kyodo News on August 6 that Kuwait’s exports remain zero as long as the Strait of Hormuz stays closed, with one proposed pipeline connecting the country to the Red Sea through Saudi Arabia or Oman and another linking to Fujairah port in the UAE. Al-Roumi added that the projects would proceed through consultations with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf states, noting Kuwait’s vulnerable position at the northern end of the Gulf. The minister described Japan as one of Kuwait’s important clients for crude oil and refined products while confirming ongoing discussions to bolster reserves in friendly nations. A Congressional Research Service assessment from March placed the start of the effective closure on March 4 after Iranian forces declared the waterway off limits and began threatening vessels, part of a wider conflict that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in February.
Rebuilding storage tanks damaged in Iranian attacks will require at least a year, according to Al-Roumi, leaving Kuwait unable to resume normal shipments in the near term. The International Energy Agency reported in March that Gulf producers including Kuwait had already cut total oil production by at least 10 million barrels per day as storage filled and tanker traffic through the strait plunged from around 20 million barrels daily before the war. Bloomberg News reported in April that Kuwait Petroleum Corp. declared force majeure on crude and product shipments after vessels could no longer enter the Persian Gulf, the first such occurrence since the 1991 Gulf War according to ship tracking data.
An Anadolu Agency dispatch carried Al-Roumi’s confirmation that the de facto Iranian closure had brought Kuwaiti oil exports to a total stop, underscoring the geographical constraints that make alternative routes essential. UN Trade and Development figures show the strait normally carries around one quarter of global seaborne oil trade along with significant volumes of natural gas and fertilizers, volumes that have been largely blocked since early March. The closure has compounded pressure on global markets, with ABN Amro analysts estimating a net shortfall of 1 million to 4.9 million barrels per day even after releases from strategic reserves and limited bypass pipelines.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei stated Wednesday that an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz with Oman had reached the final drafting stage, with a joint statement possible if certain parties did not obstruct the process. Baghaei appeared to refer to the United States, indicating the deal could depend on Washington lifting its blockade on Iranian ports. The comments came as maritime security incidents continued, with Lloyd’s List Intelligence recording at least two ships hit in the strait over the past week and several near misses attributed to entities linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense announced on August 6 the appointment of Rear Admiral Abdullah Al-Shehri as commander of the Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance established on July 30. The ministry said in a statement that the move completes part of the alliance’s institutional structure and aims to strengthen maritime security, protect freedom of navigation and safeguard international trade routes. Additional countries are expected to join as founding members, with further meetings scheduled for August to advance operational coordination among naval forces aligned with the group’s charter.
Lloyd’s List Intelligence data placed vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz at 84 for the week of July 27 to August 2, up from 45 the previous week but still well below the more than 700 recorded in a typical pre-crisis week. The company noted that Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels continued to claim attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, though those claims could not be independently verified. Traffic remains constrained by ongoing warnings and the broader regional conflict that has kept tanker movements at a fraction of normal levels for more than five months.
