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Gate of Tears: How key shipping route Bab al-Mandab became next front in the US-Iran war

The Independent (UK) · back to the audit

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have declared they will impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, cutting off the vital Bab al-Mandab Strait. The threat marks yet another potential blow to the global economy as Tehran continues to frustrate Donald Trump's efforts to bring the war he began with Israel in February to a close. Twenty-seven vessels, including five oil tankers and a liquefied petroleum gas carrier, crossed the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Wednesday, LSEG data showed, but this was down from 38 the previous day. On Thursday, the Houthis said they struck two Saudi oil tankers as part of the blockade, threatening to create a second chokepoint on global oil supplies alongside Iran's near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz.