Why the Saudi oil crisis may outlast the Iran war | The Dip Podcast

Saudi Arabia faces a critical energy crisis as regional conflicts choke its primary oil export routes through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. Recent drone attacks on infrastructure, including the East-West pipeline, have forced the kingdom to navigate a precarious "pincer movement" that limits export volumes and inflates global energy costs. Experts Kate Dourian and Andrew Leber highlight that the traditional security pact with the United States is weakening, as Washington remains hesitant to intervene in regional skirmishes. Simultaneously, China’s growing economic influence does not translate into the military security Riyadh requires. Consequently, armed groups have gained outsized leverage, signaling that the pre-conflict status quo is permanently altered, leaving Saudi Arabia to manage a volatile landscape of "no peace, no war" while seeking new, long-term alternatives to bypass these vulnerable maritime chokepoints.