Saudi–Omani Cooperation Is Not Expansion. It Is Regional Security..

Why the corridor story keeps resurfacing.

For years, claims about Saudi Arabia seeking a land corridor to the Arabian Sea resurface whenever regional cooperation advances. The X post circulating now relies on events from the 1970s to frame current Saudi–Omani alignment as coercion. This framing ignores how Gulf diplomacy works today.

What the 1970s documents actually show.

In the 1970s, the region faced insurgencies, Cold War pressures, and unstable borders. Many ideas were discussed and rejected. Oman rejected proposals. South Yemen rejected proposals. Those decisions stood. No corridor emerged. Sovereignty was respected. Using rejected discussions as proof of present intent misleads readers.

How Gulf diplomacy works today.

Today’s Gulf projects focus on connectivity through sovereign agreements. Energy security relies on ports, shipping lanes, and international markets, not carving territory out of neighbors. Oman and Saudi Arabia coordinate on trade, border security, and investment because shared stability serves both states.

Why the corridor story keeps resurfacing.

Yemen’s current tragedy did not begin with pipelines. It began with internal conflict and militia expansion that fractured the state. Al-Mahra’s sensitivity reflects border security concerns shared by Oman, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia alike. Stability there reduces smuggling, weapons flow, and regional spillover.

Portraying cooperation as a hidden plot only benefits actors who thrive on disorder. Regional diplomacy, when transparent and state-to-state, strengthens sovereignty rather than erodes it.

Reference: https://x.com/athanifhd/status/2009266759627428275?s=19