{"id":1931,"date":"2026-07-21T19:09:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T19:09:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1931"},"modified":"2026-07-21T19:09:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T19:09:11","slug":"a-new-threat-by-yemens-houthis-could-widen-the-iran-war-and-put-another-trade-chokepoint-at-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1931","title":{"rendered":"A new threat by Yemen\u2019s Houthis could widen the Iran war and put another trade chokepoint at risk"},"content":{"rendered":"
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CAIRO (AP) \u2014 A declared blockade of Saudi Arabia by Yemen\u2019s Houthi rebels has the potential to widen the Iran war<\/span> and further disrupt global oil supplies and international trade.<\/p>\n

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The rebels<\/span> say they have closed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Saudi-linked shipping in retaliation for the kingdom\u2019s blockade on Yemen and a recent attack<\/span> on the international airport in Yemen\u2019s rebel-held capital, Sanaa. The Houthis claim to have forced six ships to reroute on Tuesday, but there was no independent confirmation.<\/p>\n

Bab el-Mandeb<\/span>, at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is a vital shipping chokepoint, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Arabia. Around 12% of the world\u2019s trade, including a fourth of global container traffic, passes through the narrows, moving between Europe and Asia via Egypt\u2019s Suez Canal.<\/p>\n

The strait has become even more vital for Saudi oil exports since the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz<\/span> during the Iran war has severely limited shipping out of the Persian Gulf.<\/p>\n

The Houthis say they will only stop vessels connected to Saudi Arabia or going in and out of its Red Sea ports. But during a similar blockade<\/span> announced against Israel over the war in Gaza, the rebels attacked many vessels with little or no connection to that conflict.<\/p>\n

The threat alone could keep international shippers from using the route.<\/p>\n

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Sporadic attacks could largely block the waterway<\/h2>\n

The Houthis don\u2019t control the part of Yemen\u2019s coastline along Bab el-Mandeb \u2014 that\u2019s in the hands of its opponents in the country\u2019s civil war. But they hold territory less than 100 kilometers (60 miles) away.<\/p>\n

Three Houthi officials told the AP on Tuesday that the group has planned for months how to disrupt shipping in the strait. Those plans include the use of naval mines, explosive-laden boats, drones and helicopters to allow fighters to board ships, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to media.<\/p>\n

They said vessels would first be warned not to cross designated boundaries in the strait. If ships ignore the warnings, the Houthis would resort to military action.<\/p>\n

In the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has shown that even sporadic attacks on ships can be enough to effectively close a critical waterway, by driving up risks and insurance premiums.<\/p>\n

Global trade could be disrupted at a second chokepoint<\/h2>\n

\u201cIf Bab el-Mandeb comes under pressure at the same time as shipping in the Gulf, you have disruption around two of the world\u2019s most important maritime routes at once,\u201d Clionadh Raleigh, the founder of ACLED, a conflict monitoring service, said Tuesday.<\/p>\n

More than 7 million barrels of petroleum a day transited Bab el-Mandeb in June, compared to around 4 million before the Iran war, Allison Minor, the director of the Atlantic Council\u2019s Project for Middle East Integration, wrote in an analysis published Monday.<\/p>\n

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Saudi Arabia has been recently exporting some 4 million barrels of oil a day through its Red Sea port of Yanbu, blunting the impact of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has still rattled economies around the world.<\/p>\n

Saudi Arabia could still get crude to market without using Bab el-Mandeb, by shipping up to 2.5 million barrels a day across the Red Sea to Egypt, whose SUMED pipeline can carry it to the Mediterranean. It could also ship 1 million barrels a day through the Suez Canal.<\/p>\n

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International shippers could also reroute, as they did at the height of the war in Gaza. But that means going the long way around the Cape of Good Hope off South Africa, adding one or two weeks to voyages \u2014 and raising costs.<\/p>\n

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Attacks could draw retaliation and reignite Yemen\u2019s war<\/h2>\n

The Houthis attacked over 100 vessels at the height of the war in Gaza, before a punishing U.S. and Israeli air campaign put an end to the attacks in early 2025.<\/p>\n

U.S. President Donald Trump<\/span> brushed off the latest threat.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo far, it hasn\u2019t happened,\u201d Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday. \u201cI think that if there is something like that, we\u2019ll just have to take care of business.\u201d<\/p>\n

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