Saudi Arabia’s Real War in Yemen: The Pipeline Nobody Talks About | Akram Naeem Bharoka
Vlog Central
35,683 views
Saudi Arabia sells more oil than any other country, yet it has no safe way to get that oil to the open sea. Both of its coasts end at a chokepoint controlled by someone else: the Strait of Hormuz in the east, with Iran on the other side, and Bab el-Mandeb in the west, with Yemen on its shore. This video argues that Saudi Arabia is not fighting in Yemen for Yemen’s sake. It is fighting for a route to the sea that no one else guards.
In this analysis, Akram Naeem Bharoka explains the geography, the history and the politics behind the Yemen war, and why its ending may be decided on Washington’s election calendar, not in Riyadh.
What you will learn in this video
📍 Two routes, both blocked: After the US-Israel attack on Iran on February 28, Iran largely closed Hormuz. Saudi Arabia shifted exports to the 1,200 km East-West Pipeline to Yanbu (capacity up to 7 million barrels a day), and Yanbu’s output rose from about 700,000 to 4.1 million barrels a day in six weeks. But ships leaving Yanbu for Asia must still pass Bab el-Mandeb, where the Houthis announced a blockade of Saudi ports and ships on July 20.
📍 Who buys Saudi oil: South Korea (34%), Japan (27%), China (15%) and India (10%). All of them are in the east, so all of their tankers must pass Bab el-Mandeb.
📍 The Arabian Sea, the “third route”: On the Arabian Peninsula, only Yemen and Oman have Arabian Sea coastline. Saudi Arabia has none. The video traces the idea from 1970s pipeline proposals, through the failed 1990s talks with Ali Abdullah Saleh and a leaked 2008 US cable, to today.
📍 Al-Mahra, Yemen’s easternmost province: Saudi forces entered in 2017, took control of the Nishtun port and, by 2019, had built more than 20 bases in a province with under 300,000 people. Saudi Arabia said the goal was stopping weapons smuggling. Locals suspected a pipeline.
📍 The 1934 Treaty of Taif and the southern border: Why the Jazan, Asir and Najran region has never been fully quiet, and where Houthi missiles are landing today.
📍 Saudi Arabia vs the UAE-backed STC (January 2026): Saudi airstrikes on its own coalition partner in Hadramout, and what it says about who should control Yemen’s Arabian Sea coast.
📍 Oman, the “uninvited guest” in Al-Mahra: Oman’s tribal ties, its fears about Saudi influence, the unverified claim about monthly payments to tribal fighters, and Oman’s own pipeline plans to Ras Markaz.
📍 The end of the 2022 truce: The Mahan Air flight to Sanaa, the July 13 strike on Sanaa airport, and the Houthi missile attacks on Abha, Jazan, Najran and Riyadh.
📍 The oil card is losing power: Lower Saudi exports, oil above $100 a barrel, and a major quarterly deficit.
📍 NEOM and Vision 2030 under pressure: The cutbacks to The Line, Red Sea tourism projects and the Mukaab, and why the video argues the war exposed problems that were already there.
📍 Alliances: The Saudi-Pakistan defence pact (September 2025), the August 2026 Saudi-Pakistan-Turkey agreement, and what “monitoring support” actually means.
📍 Washington’s role: The Trump administration’s backing for Saudi Arabia, the Iran memorandum signed in June, why it collapsed over Hormuz, and the report that Trump expects to bomb Iran again after the November midterms.
📍 Saudi Arabia’s three options: military force, a political deal, or geography, meaning a pipeline to the Arabian Sea that would have to cross Oman.
The main question: Can Saudi Arabia ever secure a route to the Arabian Sea without the permission of the neighbour it distrusts?
⚠️ Disclaimer: This video is analysis and opinion. Several claims come from anonymous sources or from one side of the conflict, including the New York Times report about MBS’s private calls, the reported Omani payments to tribal fighters, and who carried out the pipeline drone attacks. They are presented as claims, not confirmed facts.
👤 Host: Akram Naeem Bharoka
🎙️ Topic: Saudi Arabia, Yemen war, Houthis, Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb, Oman, Iran, USA
#SaudiArabia #Yemen #Houthis #MohammedBinSalman #StraitOfHormuz #BabElMandeb #Geopolitics #MiddleEastNews #IranWar #oman
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20 Comments
Saudi Arabia’s Real War in Yemen: The Pipeline Nobody Talks About | Akram Naeem Bharoka
Vlog Central
35,683 views
Saudi Arabia sells more oil than any other country, yet it has no safe way to get that oil to the open sea. Both of its coasts end at a chokepoint controlled by someone else: the Strait of Hormuz in the east, with Iran on the other side, and Bab el-Mandeb in the west, with Yemen on its shore. This video argues that Saudi Arabia is not fighting in Yemen for Yemen’s sake. It is fighting for a route to the sea that no one else guards.
In this analysis, Akram Naeem Bharoka explains the geography, the history and the politics behind the Yemen war, and why its ending may be decided on Washington’s election calendar, not in Riyadh.
What you will learn in this video
📍 Two routes, both blocked: After the US-Israel attack on Iran on February 28, Iran largely closed Hormuz. Saudi Arabia shifted exports to the 1,200 km East-West Pipeline to Yanbu (capacity up to 7 million barrels a day), and Yanbu’s output rose from about 700,000 to 4.1 million barrels a day in six weeks. But ships leaving Yanbu for Asia must still pass Bab el-Mandeb, where the Houthis announced a blockade of Saudi ports and ships on July 20.
📍 Who buys Saudi oil: South Korea (34%), Japan (27%), China (15%) and India (10%). All of them are in the east, so all of their tankers must pass Bab el-Mandeb.
📍 The Arabian Sea, the “third route”: On the Arabian Peninsula, only Yemen and Oman have Arabian Sea coastline. Saudi Arabia has none. The video traces the idea from 1970s pipeline proposals, through the failed 1990s talks with Ali Abdullah Saleh and a leaked 2008 US cable, to today.
📍 Al-Mahra, Yemen’s easternmost province: Saudi forces entered in 2017, took control of the Nishtun port and, by 2019, had built more than 20 bases in a province with under 300,000 people. Saudi Arabia said the goal was stopping weapons smuggling. Locals suspected a pipeline.
📍 The 1934 Treaty of Taif and the southern border: Why the Jazan, Asir and Najran region has never been fully quiet, and where Houthi missiles are landing today.
📍 Saudi Arabia vs the UAE-backed STC (January 2026): Saudi airstrikes on its own coalition partner in Hadramout, and what it says about who should control Yemen’s Arabian Sea coast.
📍 Oman, the “uninvited guest” in Al-Mahra: Oman’s tribal ties, its fears about Saudi influence, the unverified claim about monthly payments to tribal fighters, and Oman’s own pipeline plans to Ras Markaz.
📍 The end of the 2022 truce: The Mahan Air flight to Sanaa, the July 13 strike on Sanaa airport, and the Houthi missile attacks on Abha, Jazan, Najran and Riyadh.
📍 The oil card is losing power: Lower Saudi exports, oil above $100 a barrel, and a major quarterly deficit.
📍 NEOM and Vision 2030 under pressure: The cutbacks to The Line, Red Sea tourism projects and the Mukaab, and why the video argues the war exposed problems that were already there.
📍 Alliances: The Saudi-Pakistan defence pact (September 2025), the August 2026 Saudi-Pakistan-Turkey agreement, and what “monitoring support” actually means.
📍 Washington’s role: The Trump administration’s backing for Saudi Arabia, the Iran memorandum signed in June, why it collapsed over Hormuz, and the report that Trump expects to bomb Iran again after the November midterms.
📍 Saudi Arabia’s three options: military force, a political deal, or geography, meaning a pipeline to the Arabian Sea that would have to cross Oman.
The main question: Can Saudi Arabia ever secure a route to the Arabian Sea without the permission of the neighbour it distrusts?
⚠️ Disclaimer: This video is analysis and opinion. Several claims come from anonymous sources or from one side of the conflict, including the New York Times report about MBS’s private calls, the reported Omani payments to tribal fighters, and who carried out the pipeline drone attacks. They are presented as claims, not confirmed facts.
👤 Host: Akram Naeem Bharoka
🎙️ Topic: Saudi Arabia, Yemen war, Houthis, Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb, Oman, Iran, USA
#SaudiArabia #Yemen #Houthis #MohammedBinSalman #StraitOfHormuz #BabElMandeb #Geopolitics #MiddleEastNews #IranWar #oman
Check Out Our Other Videos:
1: Punjabi Philosopher Baba Bulleh Shah Kaun ...
2: Boorhi Maa Ki Adhi Roti Bhi Bardasht Nahin...
3: History Of Jamalo Sheedi - Lansdowne Bridg...
Vlog Central Team:
Ejaz Virk — Director of Production
Umair Qadeer — Digital Creator
Abdurrab Afzal — NLE
Dil Nasheen — NLE
Zeeshan Khalid — NLE
Tauqeer Abbas — Cameraman
Asim Malik — Cameraman
Follow Us On Social Media:
Facebook: Facebook: VlogCentralpk
Instagram: Instagram: VlogCentralPk
TikTok: TikTok: vlogcentralpk
Twitter: https://x.com/VlogCentralPk
Get In Touch:
Contact us at vlogcentralpk@gmail.com
Check out our channel here:
@vlogcentraltv
Don't forget to subscribe!
❤❤❤❤❤
Thanks bharoka SB