Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar are working to lobby the White House not to intervene in the situation in Iran, according to reporting from The Wall Street Journal. Arab gulf officials are concerned that U.S. interference could upset oil markets, upset citizens in their own countries, and impact the U.S. economy. ¹

Of great concern is the potential for disruption of oil tanker traffic through the Straight of Hormuz. Between 20% and 30% of the world’s oil shipments pass through it. ², ³

But any impact on oil shipments seems less important than the potential for domestic uncertainty when events escalate in Iran — the fall of the Khamenei regime could lead to an even worse regime, or perhaps a situation like in Syria where parts of the country are controlled by groups with different interests. Saudi leaders are particularly worried about the potential for protests and impact on economic and social plans. “The control exerted by the Iranian regime at least provides the Gulf with some predictability,” said Michael Ratney, former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia under the Biden Administration.

Any move Iran may make against the Strait of Hormuz may further provoke the U.S. into moving against Tehran. As of 2022, the U.S. received about 12% of its oil imports from Persian Gulf countries, and did about $25 MM USD worth of imports from those states overall in 2024. Paramilitary units from Iran have been active in the strait in the last few weeks, seizing shipping it believed to be illegal and conducting missile firing exercises. The U.S. Fifth Fleet operates from Bahrain, an island nation northwest of Qatar. ^{4, 5, 6}

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1. Said, S., & Abdel-Baqui, O. (2026, January 13). Iran’s Gulf Rivals Warn U.S. Against Strike on Tehran. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 13, 2026, from https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/irans-gulf-rivals-warn-u-s-against-strike-on-iran-1388236e/ ↩︎
2. Strait of Hormuz | International Crisis Group. (2025, December 26). International Crisis Group. Retrieved January 13, 2026, from https://www.crisisgroup.org/trigger-list/iran-usisrael-trigger-list/flashpoints/strait-hormuz ↩︎
3. Shan, L. Y. (2026, January 12). World’s most vital oil chokepoint back in focus amid possible U.S. action against Iran. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/12/strait-of-hormuz-back-in-focus-amid-possible-us-intervention-in-iran.html ↩︎
4. Oil imports and exports – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). (n.d.). https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/oil-and-petroleum-products/imports-and-exports.php ↩︎
5. International Crisis Group, 2025. ↩︎
6. TRADING ECONOMICS. (n.d.). United States imports by country. https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/imports-by-country ↩︎