Saudi Arabia moves to annex 350 km of Yemen’s Mahra territory to escape from Iran

RIYADH, April 03 (YPA) – Intensified Saudi efforts are made to establish a new reality in eastern Yemen, aimed at reviving a long-standing plan to extend a crude oil pipeline through Al-Mahrah province to the Arabian Sea.

Political sources familiar with the matter in Riyadh said that Saudi authorities had begun moving to formalize the project through the Riyadh-based government headed by Shaya Al-Zandani, with the support of Presidential Leadership Council, headed by Rashad Al-Alimi.

The plan includes converting Nishtun port into a dedicated oil export terminal after years of inactivity.

The proposed project involves creating a land corridor approximately 30 kilometers wide and up to 350 kilometers long, reportedly to be placed under full Saudi control—a move observers say would violate Yemeni sovereignty and breach international norms.

The sources also indicated that Riyadh had rejected any proposals involving local residents of Mahra or Yemeni personnel in securing the pipeline, stating that protection arrangements would be handled outside the local framework.

Security responsibilities are expected to be assigned to the Saudi-backed Salafi group known as the “Guardians of the Homeland,” which was deployed to Mahra province early last year, raising concerns about further militarization of the region in support of the project.

These developments come as Saudi Arabia seeks alternative oil export routes bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, which was reportedly closed by Iran following the U.S.-Israeli enemy escalation earlier this year.

Saudi forces have maintained a military presence in Mahra since 2017, despite the governorate being far from front lines with Sanaa-based forces. Previous attempts to initiate the pipeline project were met with local and tribal resistance, leading to the removal of project markers and the formation of a peaceful sit-in movement opposing foreign military presence in the area.

AA