Prince Turki Al-Faisal warns Iran’s Hormuz leverage will become strategic liability

Iran’s continued use of the Strait of Hormuz as a tool for diplomatic blackmail will inevitably become a "strategic liability" that triggers further international isolation, Prince Turki Al-Faisal, the former head of Saudi intelligence, warned on Wednesday. Writing in the Saudi Gazette and Arab News, Prince Turki argued that Tehran’s attempt to weaponise the vital waterway has already dismantled recent diplomatic progress. The warning follows the collapse of a June 17, 2026, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) intended to de-escalate hostilities that began after US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026. The 60-day window for peace failed after disputes over Article 5 of the MOU, which concerns navigation rights in the strait. Failed Diplomacy and Shipping Attacks The collapse of the interim deal was formalised on July 22, 2026, when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared the agreement "invalid" due to Iran’s persistent interference with commercial shipping. Prince Turki accused Tehran of misinterpreting the MOU as granting it absolute sovereignty over the strait, ignoring the legal rights of Oman and other Gulf nations under international law. The former intelligence chief noted that even after a temporary lifting of the US blockade and the resumption of Iranian oil exports earlier this year, Tehran resumed coercive tactics against global shipping. He drew parallels to Iran’s nuclear programme, stating that using "diplomacy of blackmail" leads only to economic…