Saudi Arabia's MBS faces strategic isolation as regional choke points slip from control

An opinion piece argues that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's unilateral decision-making has left the kingdom strategically exposed: the Strait of Hormuz is nearly closed, the Bab el-Mandeb is under Houthi control, and the state finances are deficit-funded. The claim is an analytical assessment rather than a confirmed event, and the actual status of these chokepoints is uncertain.