August 14, 2026

The Strait of Hormuz crisis dominates the attention of the international press, but coverage reveals clear differences among capitals: Washington is examining the impact of the blockade and the cost of the war; London is assessing the rise of the Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani alliance; Moscow and Beijing are highlighting the failure of U.S. power to wrest control of the decision from Iran; while New Delhi and Tokyo are focused on energy security and changing oil routes.

Follow-up and Analysis | Strategic Media Department – BETH Agency
Supervised by: Abdullah Al-Omirah

Washington | Control That Does Not Bring the Ships Back

The American press is focusing on the contradiction between President Donald Trump’s assertion that the United States controls the Strait of Hormuz and shipping traffic that has yet to return to normal levels.

The Wall Street Journal captures the paradox in a striking headline: “Trump Says Hormuz Is Under U.S. Control. Few Ships Are Listening.” The newspaper notes that Iran does not need to close the waterway completely; limited and intermittent attacks are enough to make passage dangerously risky for shipping companies and insurers. 

The Washington Post continues to cover the issue through the lens of Tehran’s conditions and the mounting cost of the war. It notes that Iran is linking the reopening of the strait to compensation and sanctions relief, while the military and economic burdens on the United States and American households continue to rise. 

The latest attention is focused on Washington’s declaration that it can maintain the naval blockade of Iranian ports indefinitely and its preparations to impose economic measures described by the U.S. administration as unprecedented.

The American press is no longer asking only whether Washington controls the strait, but how much proving that control will cost and how long the United States can sustain it.

London | The Mecca Agreement Becomes a Force

The Financial Times is giving prominent attention to the mutual defense agreement between Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan, interpreting it as a move toward greater regional self-reliance amid continuing wars and declining confidence in the adequacy of traditional security guarantees.

In an analysis published today, the newspaper described Pakistan as an emerging “hinge power” capable of moving between the United States, China and the Islamic world. It argued that joining the Mecca Agreement increases Pakistan’s strategic weight despite its domestic crises. 

The newspaper had previously highlighted that the trilateral agreement goes beyond a mutual defense commitment, paving the way for cooperation in defense industries, unmanned aircraft, naval capabilities and technology transfer.

The British press is treating the alliance as a question extending beyond its three members:

Has the region begun building a security system from within instead of waiting for protection from outside?

Europe | Supporting Navigation, Avoiding War

The European press tends to support freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, but it also reflects governments’ reluctance to join a military operation that could shift from protecting vessels to direct participation in the war.

European discourse remains cautious toward both narratives. Europe does not accept Iran imposing its conditions on an international waterway, but neither does it grant Washington an open mandate to expand the confrontation.

Attention is therefore focused on a limited arrangement that guarantees the passage of vessels and prevents fees and threats, while separating the maritime mission from the U.S. war against Iran.

Europe wants an open strait, but it does not want to be the force that opens it with fire.

Moscow | Power Does Not Confer Legitimacy

The Russian press gives considerable space to Iranian statements asserting that ships cannot pass through Hormuz without Tehran’s approval, in direct opposition to Trump’s declaration of complete U.S. control.

Moscow also presents the new U.S. sanctions and naval blockade as evidence that Washington is shifting from an attempt at military resolution to economic attrition.

This framing serves the broader Russian narrative: U.S. military superiority may impose a presence at sea, but it does not grant Washington the exclusive right to determine the rules of passage or shape the region’s security order.

At the same time, Russia remains keen to preserve the passage of its vessels and those belonging to countries Iran classifies as “friendly.” This leaves Moscow opposed to U.S. dominance while partly benefiting from Iran’s selective policy.

Beijing | Hormuz as a Global Energy Issue

The Chinese press places the Hormuz crisis within a context broader than the U.S.-Iranian confrontation, treating it as a threat to trade, energy and Asian supply chains.

China Daily highlights three connected issues: Trump’s demand for compensation from Iran, Tehran’s insistence on the right to impose fees or conditions on passage, and the United States’ shift toward intensifying pressure on the Iranian economy.

The English-language Chinese press is also raising a question directly related to Beijing’s position: Can China, India and the BRICS countries use their economic weight to push for a settlement that prevents the continued disruption of the strait?

China does not want a U.S. victory that strengthens Washington’s control over the most important route for its oil imports, nor does it want an Iranian closure that raises the cost of its energy supplies.

Beijing is therefore not searching for a winner in Hormuz, but for a waterway that is neither controlled by one party nor closed by the decision of one party.

New Delhi | One Eye on the Alliance, Another on Oil

The Indian press is viewing the Mecca Agreement with particular sensitivity because Pakistan and Türkiye are members, raising questions about its effect on the balance of power and Saudi Arabia’s relationships with Asian powers.

The Indian Express explains what each country contributes to the alliance and what India should monitor, with a clear emphasis on Pakistan’s nuclear weight, Türkiye’s defense industry, and the Kingdom’s economic and political standing. 

On the economic front, Indian refiners are seeking alternative supplies as disruption in Hormuz continues. New Delhi is consequently viewing the crisis from two parallel angles:

• Preventing the emergence of a security balance that weakens India’s position against Pakistan.
• Protecting energy supplies from becoming hostage to the confrontation.

Tokyo | Oil Changes Course

The Japanese press is focused more on energy security than on the political details of the conflict.

As shipping traffic remains subdued, refiners in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have begun increasing purchases of U.S. and West African crude, despite its higher cost compared with Gulf supplies.

Japanese refiners Eneos and Cosmo Energy purchased U.S. cargoes at high premiums, indicating that companies are no longer simply waiting for Hormuz to reopen quickly, but have begun making actual changes to their sources of supply. 

The Japan Times continues to follow Iran’s conditions for reopening the strait because Tokyo depends heavily on oil from the region, and any permanent change in the rules of passage would directly affect its economic security. 

In Tokyo, the reopening of Hormuz is measured not by statements, but by the return of tankers and a decline in shipping and insurance costs.

The Numbers Reveal the Reality

Commodity tanker traffic through Hormuz rose to nine vessels on Thursday, compared with five the previous day. It nevertheless remained below the August average of 12 vessels a day, with most ships using routes close to the Iranian side.

This confirms that passage has not stopped completely, but it has not returned to normal, and that Tehran remains capable of influencing the routes ships take and the timing of their passage. 

Brent crude also rose to approximately $87.97 a barrel, while U.S. crude climbed to $82.16, driven by fears that the blockade could continue despite forecasts of weaker demand and higher U.S. inventories.

What Matters to the Kingdom

The international press coverage converges today around four issues that directly concern Saudi Arabia:

Security of Maritime Corridors

The security of Hormuz can no longer be separated from that of the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb. Pressure on both routes increases the value of Saudi ports and the East-West Pipeline, but it also raises the level of threats facing them.

The Mecca Agreement

The agreement is evolving from a political news story into an international strategic issue. Attention will increase as its implementation mechanisms, joint exercises, manufacturing projects and technology-transfer initiatives emerge.

The Kingdom’s Position

The press views Riyadh as a center of three simultaneous courses of action: de-escalation, energy protection and the construction of regional deterrence. This combination of diplomacy and strength distinguishes the Saudi presence in the crisis.

Asian Energy

The temporary shift by Asian refiners toward U.S. crude does not diminish the importance of Saudi oil. It does, however, show that continued disruption of maritime routes is pushing buyers to rebuild their supply chains. Maintaining reliable exports through multiple routes is therefore becoming a strategic value, not merely a commercial one.

Conclusion

The international press does not see an imminent end to the war, but it has begun treating its consequences as realities that may endure: a continuing blockade, changing oil routes, emerging regional alliances, and markets paying the price of uncertainty.

Washington wants to prove that its power can force Iran into submission economically.

Tehran wants to prove that geography prevents Washington from declaring victory.

Other capitals are not waiting to discover the winner. They are reorganizing their security, energy supplies and alliances around the possibility that the conflict will continue.

At the heart of this transformation, the Kingdom is emerging not merely as a state affected by the crisis, but as a power working to protect maritime corridors, diversify energy routes, and build an alliance that strengthens its ability to prevent war—or confront it.