Iran turns to Red Sea gateway Bab el-Mandeb Strait as new pressure point

Amid tensions in West Asia, Iran has reportedly signalled that it could use its Houthi allies in Yemen to disrupt shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, after already affecting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

• A senior Yemeni official warned that closure of the strait could significantly disrupt global energy supplies and push oil prices sharply higher.

• The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a narrow maritime passage that connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, providing access to the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.
• It lies between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa.
• The strait forms the southern gateway to the Suez Canal, making it one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.

• A significant share of global trade, container shipping, and Saudi Arabia’s oil exports passes through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
• It serves as a critical shipping route linking Europe, Asia, and Africa.
• Any disruption to navigation through the strait can increase shipping costs, delay global supply chains, and raise international oil prices.

Source: DD

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