The U.S. has launched "Project Freedom," a naval initiative to ensure freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating Iranian threats to shipping. Concurrently, a U.S.-backed policy proposal called "ARAM Express" aims to build a multidirectional overland pipeline network with Gulf partners to bypass the strait, through which roughly one-third of the world’s seaborne oil flows. Proponents argue this would reduce global vulnerability to Iranian coercion, with European and Asian buyers potentially investing. While Saudi Arabia already uses its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea as strategic insurance and the UAE has a route to Fujairah, other Gulf states like Kuwait and Qatar remain highly exposed. Political constraints, particularly regarding any indirect Israeli involvement, remain a significant hurdle to realizing a fully diversified system.