Proposal for an International Gulf Initiative to Safeguard Navigation and Global Energy Security

Arteries of the Global Economy

The global economy depends heavily on a limited number of strategic maritime passages through which a substantial proportion of trade in energy and goods flows. Any disruption to these passages has direct effects on international economic stability.

Strait of Hormuz: Approximately 20% of global oil trade passes through it, alongside a substantial proportion of natural gas exports from the Gulf states, making it one of the world's most important energy corridors.

Bab al-Mandab: An essential link between the Gulf and trade routes bound for Europe through the Suez Canal, and a major component of the global maritime transport system.

Strait of Malacca: One of the most important passages connecting the Middle East to Asian markets. East Asia's industrial economies depend on it for imports of energy and goods.

Suez Canal: It connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, and approximately 12% of global trade passes through it. If it is disrupted, ships are forced to sail around the Cape of Good Hope, significantly increasing voyage times and transport costs.

These passages form an interconnected system constituting the arteries of energy and trade between the Gulf, Asia, and Europe; they have therefore become a major focus of international geopolitical interactions and conflicts.

Introduction to the Initiative

Amid mounting military escalation in the Gulf region and the Middle East, and the accompanying direct threats to maritime and air navigation and energy supplies, the need arises for responsible international action aimed at protecting regional and global economic stability.

By virtue of their geographical location and their role in meeting a substantial share of the world's energy needs, the Arab Gulf states find themselves facing a challenge that extends beyond their national borders to encompass global economic security and the stability of international trade. From this standpoint, it becomes necessary to move from the logic of military crisis management toward an international legal and diplomatic approach.

Accordingly, the wisest option is to convene a joint Gulf meeting to unify political and legal positions, followed by coordinated diplomatic outreach to influential international powers, foremost among them the People's Republic of China, in its capacity as a permanent member of the Security Council and a major economic partner in the energy system.

This action aims to put forward two legal initiatives: the first, to safeguard navigation in the Strait of Hormuz under the framework of international law; and the second, a broader initiative to internationalize the protection of strategic corridors for global energy and trade. It does not seek escalation or target any party, but rather seeks to redirect the course of the crisis from military confrontation toward legal solutions.

First Draft: Protecting Navigation and Energy in the Strait of Hormuz

Proceeding from states' responsibility to maintain international peace and security, and in view of military escalation and the accompanying threats to navigation, the states concerned consider the continuation of these tensions a direct threat to the global economy, energy security, and food supply chains. Approximately one-fifth of global oil trade passes through the strait, alongside a substantial share of liquefied natural gas exports.

Legal Basis

The Charter of the United Nations, particularly the articles concerning the maintenance of international peace and security; the principle of freedom of navigation through international passages; and the Security Council's responsibility to take the necessary measures when a threat to international peace and security exists.

Proposal

The states concerned submit a request to the People's Republic of China, in its capacity as a permanent member of the Security Council, to introduce a draft resolution providing for: the adoption of a resolution under Chapter VII to safeguard navigation in the Strait of Hormuz; requiring all parties not to disrupt or threaten maritime or air navigation; ensuring the continued, unimpeded flow of energy and international trade; establishing an international mechanism to monitor navigation in the strait, with the participation of international powers, to strengthen stability and prevent escalation; and affirming that any deliberate disruption of navigation or targeting of energy infrastructure constitutes a direct threat to international peace and security.

The objective is not escalation or the targeting of any particular state, but rather the protection of the global economy and the prevention of a regional conflict from becoming a wide-ranging international crisis.

Contingency Initiative: “Uniting for Peace”

If the Security Council fails to adopt a resolution as a result of international divisions or the exercise of the veto, affected states can resort to the “Uniting for Peace” mechanism adopted in 1950. This provides broad international legitimacy even without a binding resolution, as well as political and economic pressure on obstructing states.

Proposal

Calling an urgent international conference on energy security and maritime navigation, with the participation of major powers and energy-consuming states; establishing a multinational international monitoring force to protect strategic passages in the Gulf; involving the major powers, including China, Russia, the European Union, and energy-importing Asian states; and establishing a permanent international mechanism to protect energy and trade corridors and prevent their use as an instrument of political or military pressure.

Objectives

Protecting the global economy from the shocks caused by disruptions to energy supplies; ensuring freedom of international navigation; preventing regional conflicts from becoming wide-ranging international crises; and exposing any attempts to use regional conflicts once again to achieve unilateral geopolitical objectives.

Strategic Advantage

Even if the first draft is vetoed, this mechanism allows the conflict to be shifted from a bilateral level to one of broad international pressure, and exposes political obstacles before the international community.

Diplomatic Conclusion

The initiative aims to redirect the course of the conflict from military confrontation toward a legal and diplomatic framework, protect the global economy and supply chains, and strengthen the principle of freedom of international navigation as a shared interest of all states.

Strategic Conclusion

Presenting these initiatives to the Security Council carries an important strategic dimension: confronting the international community with its direct responsibilities for protecting global economic security and freedom of navigation. If adopted, they would represent a step toward protecting stability and preventing the escalation of conflicts.

If, however, they are obstructed or vetoed, this will reveal the extent of the divergence in international positions and raise fundamental questions about the international system's capacity to prevent regional crises from being used as a means of reshaping balances of power. It may become clear that what is taking place is not merely a matter of managing a military conflict, but may be connected to a broader process of reshaping the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East.

For this reason, early legal and diplomatic action remains the wisest option, because it places the protection of global stability above the calculations of conflict and gives the international community a genuine opportunity to prevent the region from sliding into a more dangerous phase.

Abdullah al-Mudahaka