War drags on

Saudi Arabia offers Pakistan oil through Yanbu

The Saudi ambassador to Pakistan, Nawaf ibn Said Al-Malki, has assured Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik that Pakistan’s oil security would be maintained, and instead of the Straits of Hormuz, Pakistan would be supplied through the Red Sea, from the port of Yanbu (probably the newly built King Fahad Industrial Port, which is the largest port on the Red Sea for handling petrochemicals), which is also the home three refineries, It would be advisable to have this oil escorted by Pakistan Navy destroyers or frigates. Pakistan Navy ships should be safe from attack by both US and Iranian navies, while the Israeli navy would not operate beyond the Mediterranean. On the other hand, an Iranian frigate was sunk off Galle by a US submarine, which shows that international waters are no longer safe. Unescorted, the Iranian Navy might try to enforce the Straits blockade by hitting at oil tankers originating from other ports. Pakistan should not assume its oil import woes are over, but the danger of a sudden and complete cut-off is at least partially averted. Meanwhile, liquefied natural gas from Qatar has come to a sudden halt, in another symptom of the disruption affecting oil and gas markets the world over.

Pakistan continues to make what diplomatic efforts it can. Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke to his Egyptian and Turkish counterparts on Wednesday, stressing the need for de-escalation and regional peace. With both Hakan Fidan of Turkey and Badr Abdelatty of Egypt, Mr Dar conveyed Pakistan’s concern, and concerted measures that would lead to a collective action restoring international law and regional peace. Meanwhile, in a significant development, Qatar’s PM Sh Muhammad bin  Abdul Rehman Al-Thani spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, asking that Iran cease its attacks on Gul states, including Qatar.

Meanwhile, back home, political parties received a briefing on the regional situation, which includes not just the US-Israel-Iran war, but also  Operation Ghazab lil Haq which is being conducted by Pakistan against Afghanistan. The parties stressed the need for unity, though a notable absentee was the Pakistan Tehrik Insaf, which had linked attending with meeting founder Imran Khan. Even though told explicitly that attending would create a chance to break the ice, the PTI stayed away, meaning that the Leaders of Opposition in both Houses of Parliament were absent. Unity was therefore not as much visible as the hosts of the briefing would hace liked.