Ukraine Just Did Something to OPEN the Strait of Hormuz… Even U.S. Didn’t Expect This
Iran had been preparing for exactly this scenario for decades.
With its sight set on the lifeline of global energy flows and its rivals in the Gulf, it was building a massive asymmetric network of missiles and drones designed to paralyze the region in a single stroke.
According to the plan, Gulf capitals would helplessly kneel before this looming storm and the entire region would be subjected to Tan’s rules.
But Iran failed.
The targeted nations along with an unexpected ally delivered a historic strategic blow to what Thran believed was a flawless siege.
On one hand, Saudi Arabia was rewriting the balance of power in the skies with US support.
While on the other, the United Arab Emirates was bringing new actors like South Korea into the defense equation.
Yet, as these historic steps were being taken in the Gulf, the shocking move that would upend all balances did not come from the Middle East.
It came from thousands of kilometers away from the very heart of the crisis.
The surprise actor set to untangle the knot in the dark waters of the straight of Hormuz, littered with stealthy mines, kamicazi boats, and underwater drones, is none other than Ukraine itself, which has been in the thick of a relentless war for 4 years.
The Kiev administration realized that the true trap in the Middle East lay not just in the air, but on that silent chessboard set up meters below and above the sea.
On one side, the Houthis trying to choke the Red Sea.
On the other, asymmetric naval tactics lying in weight in the straight of Hormuz.
This flawless blockade, which has brought global energy flows to a standstill, is about to be broken by an intervention no one could have predicted.
On March 30th, 2026, during his Gulf tour, Ukrainian President Womir Zalinski visited Saudi Arabia and put a groundbreaking historic proposal on the table.
Zalinsky appealed to Riyad and other Gulf countries to break Iran’s blockade of the Straight of Hormuz.
He proposed sharing the maritime drone technology and blockade-breaking tactics that had proven their worth against the Russian Navy in the Black Sea with regional actors.
Ukraine’s move went far beyond a mere technology transfer.
Imagine a scenario where unmanned maritime vehicles like the Mura V5 and Seaby which have turned Russian patrol ships in the Black Sea into a nightmare are deployed in the field.
These unmanned machines have the capacity to completely upend the asymmetric balance of power in the Straight of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
In particular, the Mura V5, which can reach speeds exceeding 50 knots and carry up to 400 kg of explosives.
This vessel can remotely target Iran’s so-called suicide skiffs, kamicazi boats, before they even reach an attack position.
On the other hand, there are seab drones with a range of over 1,000 km.
These could serve as a strategic shield capable of detecting and neutralizing Iran’s mine laying operations in the straight of Hormuz and underwater drones around Kar Island at an early stage.
The picture is quite clear.
Ukraine’s proven naval drone concept in the Black Sea means countering Iran’s and the Houthi’s lowcost attacks with their own weaponry.
If Saudi Arabia integrates these systems into its navy, it could significantly enhance its capacity to protect traffic through the straight of Hormuz.
The deployment of such a naval drone could also paralyze Iran’s maneuverability at sea.
Furthermore, Ukraine’s proposed solution to these asymmetric threats at sea carries the potential to undermine Iran’s last remaining trump card in the straight of Hormuz.
However, the Gulf states are not merely focusing on maritime threats.
They are also taking action to fundamentally resolve the cost and attrition war in the skies.
In this regard, Saudi Arabia has taken one of the most significant steps in recent days.
Riyad may have made a historic decision to transition to fifth generation defense.
President Trump has officially approved the sale of 48 F-35 Lightning 2 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.
The White House announced this sale as part of a comprehensive US Saudi strategic defense agreement.
This move will make Saudi Arabia the second country in the Middle East after Israel to acquire the F-35.
And the timing of the sale is certainly no coincidence.
As Iran’s attacks on the Gulf escalate, Riad’s need for this jet has shifted from a preference to an urgent necessity.
In fact, F-35s were displayed alongside Saudi flags for the first time at the World Defense Show 2026.
It was still just a demonstration, but the message was very clear.
Saudi Arabia is entering the fifth generation era.
So, what do the F-35s mean for Riad in the face of Iran? The priority will likely be regional defense.
The Abcake facility, which single-handedly processes 5 to 7% of global oil production, the Kuray superfield with a daily capacity of 1.5 million barrels, and the Rost Tanura port, the hub of exports.
All these critical areas have become the primary targets that must be protected against Iran’s potential threats.
A single missile hitting any of these facilities would cause an earthquake effect in the global oil market.
Aware of this danger, the Saudis have begun integrating F-35s into their air force fleets to counter Iran’s threats.
However, these jets are not just for defense.
They could be the top choice for counterattack operations.
Think of it as an invisible surveillance platform, a flying early warning system, and a precision strike weapon.
Because all these features are combined into a single airframe, the small drones sent by Iran are often detected too late by traditional radars.
The F-35’s advanced sensor system, however, can detect these drones from much greater distances.
Currently, when Iran sends a swarm of drones, the Saudis may not be able to clearly see the swarm until it approaches their territory.
With the F-35, this detection range will increase dramatically.
The drones could be shot down in midair before they even enter Saudi airspace.
And it’s not just about defense.
The F-35’s low radar signature opens the door for it to bypass Iran’s air defense radars and launch a counterattack.
In other words, this jet won’t just stop the incoming threat.
It will be able to reach the source of the threat when necessary.
Iran’s missile production facilities, command centers, coastal defense batteries.
All of these are within the F-35’s range.
Let’s say Iran launches a large-scale drone attack on Abcake.
while the defense batteries intercept the drones in the air.
The F-35s can simultaneously reach the launch sites on Iranian territory.
So, we’re not just talking about repelling the attack, but eliminating its source.
This marks a shift from Riyad’s defense strategy to a deterrent strategy.
Another critical factor is how these jets will integrate with the Saudis existing air force.
Saudi Arabia’s fleet includes F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets.
These are powerful platforms, but they are fourth generation.
The F-35 can serve as the eyes, ears, and brain of these jets by flying alongside them.
When an F-35 is in the air, it transmits real-time target information to the other jets.
It communicates to groundbased defense batteries within milliseconds where threats are coming from.
In other words, all defense elements are unified into a single network.
Thanks to this network, Iran’s drone swarm tactics, where multiple targets attack simultaneously, can be countered far more effectively because Iran’s strategy is simple yet ruthless to overwhelm defense systems with dozens of targets at once.
The F-35, however, can simultaneously track multiple targets, establishing incredible coordination with ground defense batteries.
This prevents missile waste and ensures the defense system remains operational for much longer.
According to military strategists estimates, once the F-35 fleet is fully operational, the effectiveness of Saudi air defense could increase significantly.
This increases of a magnitude that will completely upend Iran’s entire asymmetric warfare strategy.
And there is one more critical detail here.
Iran’s air force has already been decimated by US and Israeli operations.
The vast majority of the aircraft in its possession are outdated Americanmade airframes dating back to the 1970s.
Due to sanctions, they cannot even find spare parts.
Even before the war began, only 50 to 60% of its fleet was airworthy.
Now, most of those aircraft are burned out on the tarmac.
Iran’s only remaining air power is unmanned aerial vehicles.
However, once the F-35s enter the frey, the Saudis will have the capability to neutralize even this last card Iran has left.
This represents a strategic dead end for Iran.
They have no manned aircraft left.
Their drones cannot reach their targets and their missiles cannot penetrate the defense shield.
The concept of deterrence provided by these jets begins precisely here.
But the sale of F-35s is just one aspect of the defense partnership between Saudi Arabia and the US because there is a much broader US military presence on the ground and this deterrent military presence forms the first line of defense against the Iranian threat.
Currently, there are approximately 3 to 4,000 US troops stationed in Saudi Arabia.
High altitude defense shields are active, particularly near the Kur and Abcake oil facilities.
Surveillance aircraft take off day and night from Prince Sultan air base, scanning Saudi airspace to detect threats early.
US military advisers are training Saudi defense teams.
And in Riyad, a joint US Saudi air defense command center operates 24/7.
Once the F-35s are delivered, this command center will establish a real-time link between ground batteries, jets in the air, and satellites in space.
All these elements form an impenetrable defense wall that counters every Iranian attack attempt across multiple layers.
Meanwhile, Riad has taken a historic step not only in the skies but also underground.
With the straight of Hormuz effectively closed, 20% of global oil trade and 19% of liqufied natural gas shipments are at risk.
However, the Saudis were not caught unprepared for this scenario.
In 1981, they brought the 1,200 km east west pipeline, built specifically to address the possibility of such a crisis, to full capacity for the first time in its history.
7 million barrels of oil are pumped through this pipeline daily.
This marks a daily record volume for the 45-year-old pipeline.
Oil flows from fields in the Persian Gulf through the desert to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea coast.
In other words, the Saudi pipeline is the largest energy corridor bypassing the straight of Hormuz in the Gulf.
But the pipeline itself has now become a strategic target that must be protected.
A pipeline stretching 1,200 km beneath the desert means dozens of points vulnerable to sabotage.
And the Houthi’s renewed attacks on the Red Sea directly threatened the security of the port of Yanbu.
Because the Houthis officially declared on March 28th, 2026, that they had joined the war on Iran’s side, the Babel Mandeb Strait, the gateway to the Red Sea, has come under fire once again.
Saudi Arabia’s southwestern coast is just 150 km from this straight.
This is why the F-35s, defense batteries, and layered defense network are critical for this route and the port as well.
These jets have the capacity to protect these strategic coastal regions as well.
However, Saudi Arabia cannot shoulder the defense mission in the region alone.
For this reason, the United Arab Emirates was one of the first countries to offer support to Riad in this regard.
The UAE was the country most heavily targeted by Iran in March 2026.
Approximately 1,914 drones and 414 ballistic missiles were detected in a single month.
This was the largest air attack any Gulf country has faced in a single month.
The UAE largely repelled this wave with its existing defense systems.
On March 29th, 16 missiles and 42 drones were destroyed in midair in a single day.
The overall success rate remained above 90%.
But Abu Dhabi knew a stronger shield was essential and they brought that shield from an unexpected source.
The UAE received its third MSAM 2 air defense battery from South Korea.
This development is not just a routine weapons purchase.
The MSAM 2 is a system specifically designed to intercept ballistic missiles and drones flying at medium altitudes.
Working in conjunction with the UAE’s existing defense systems, it creates a layered protection network.
So what does this layered defense mean? When Iran launches an attack, different threats arrive at different altitudes.
A system intercepts the ballistic missile coming from high altitude.
Another system targets threats flying at medium altitude.
A third layer stops drones at low altitude.
The MSAM 2 sits right in the middle of these layers.
It covers the altitude most frequently used by Iran for attacks, which is why it is so valuable for Abu Dhabi.
Another strong point of the system is its mobility.
In other words, it is not tied to a fixed location.
It can quickly relocate depending on the direction of the threat.
If Iran targets Abu Dhabi today and strikes the Fujiro oil port tomorrow, the MSAM 2 battery can be moved to the most critical location.
This flexibility thwarts Iran’s strategy of finding gaps in the defense and acquiring this system from South Korea carries a separate strategic message.
The defense partnership between Abu Dhabi and Seoul is deepening.
Meanwhile, the UAE didn’t stop there.
Additional defense batteries were deployed to Aldafra air base.
Coordination on air defense with the US was tightened.
The UAE withstood Iran’s most intense wave of attacks and remained standing.
But these weren’t the only two countries taking action in the Gulf.
Bahrain is a small island nation, but its strategic significance is immense.
This is because the headquarters of the US fifth fleet is located here in Manama.
This headquarters serves as the command center for all US naval operations in the Gulf.
It hosts a deep water port capable of accommodating aircraft carriers.
In March, Iran launched 75 missiles and 123 drones at Bahrain.
Defense batteries shot down 45 missiles and nine drones.
Additional defense batteries have been deployed around the base.
Bahrain is defending more than just its own territory.
The command center for naval operations in the straight of Hormuz is located here.
If Iran neutralizes this command center, all naval patrol, mine clearing, and convoy protection operations in the Gulf could be disrupted.
If this command center falls, all operations to keep the straight open could be at risk.
And if the strait cannot remain open, oil may not flow.
The situation in Qatar is no different.
Aluade air base is the US Central Command’s main base in the region.
All command and control of air operations against Iran are managed from this location.
The regime launched drone attacks on Alu Dade and explosions were reported near the base.
The counterattack was successful, but Iran’s message was clear.
It was targeting the war’s command center.
US bases in Kuwait were also in the line of fire.
Iranian missiles targeted Ali al-Sm and Camp Arafj.
Defense systems intercepted the vast majority of the attacks.
These bases house the US’s largest logistics depots in the region.
equipment, ammunition, spare parts.
Everything vital for continuing operations against Iran is stockpiled here.
Kuwait is protecting its own bases with defense batteries and maintaining an active patrol system in coordination with the US.
Oman, however, is taking a different approach.
This country, which controls the eastern entrance to the straight of Hormuz, is playing the diplomatic mediation card rather than making military moves.
Moscow is striving to keep communication channels open with both Thran and Washington.
Historically, Oman has always been a cautious actor in the Gulf, and it is maintaining this role in this crisis as well.
But while diplomacy continues, the missiles do not fall silent.
Yet, Oman’s cautious stance is not slowing down the war tempo of the rest of the Gulf.
All these attacks and retaliations starkly highlight a single reality.
Iran has turned the Gulf into a multiffront battlefield.
In the east, a direct maritime threat in the straight of Hormuz.
In the south, a second front via the Houthis at Bob El Manddeb.
In the north, a third line of pressure through Shiite militias in Iraq.
This three-front pressure is straining the military resources of the US and its allies.
Washington is forced to conduct both aircraft carrier operations in the straight of Hormuz and new operations against the Houthis in the Red Sea simultaneously.
Every new front means shifting a portion of existing forces there.
And that is exactly what Iran wants to divide the opponent’s attention, disperse its strength and create breathing room.
However, Ukraine’s proposal to deploy its own naval drones in the Gulf, the F-35 Saudi Arabia has received from the US and the regional country’s joint defense efforts could thwart Iran’s objective.
Because when all these factors converge, Iran will also be forced to face multiple fronts.
This situation will naturally reduce the tan regime’s use of these attrition tactics.
Do you think the Middle East and Hormuz crisis will be resolved with Ukraine’s involvement? Or is a final decision at the negotiating table awaiting us? We look forward to your comments.
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