Saudi Arabia is reportedly using behind-the-scenes diplomacy to contain renewed tensions with the Houthis and protect its oil industry and economy, sources say

• The Kingdom is continuing talks through Omani mediators and preparing military options should diplomacy fail.

Saudi-Houthi de-escalation through Omani intermediaries is an established channel, and periods of back-channel quiet have alternated with flare-ups in attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure for years. The pattern in comparable episodes is that crude carries a geopolitical premium only when supply is physically touched: threats, rhetoric and even interceptions tend to fade from pricing quickly, whereas strikes that hit processing facilities or loadings have historically produced sharp but often short-lived spikes, unwinding as output is restored. The relevant distinction is between diplomatic signalling, as here, and any interruption to export flows through the Kingdom's Eastern Province or Red Sea shipping lanes, where freight and insurance costs transmit the risk before flat price does. The dual-track posture, talks plus prepared military options, is standard Saudi form in this theatre and has typically preceded either a formal truce or renewed strikes. Worth watching is whether Houthi rhetoric or drone activity escalates despite the talks, since that is what has historically moved the front of the crude curve and tanker rates rather than the diplomacy itself.