With Houthi blockade on Saudi Arabia, Bab el-Mandeb returns to centre stage | Explained

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait has returned to the geopolitical spotlight after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement announced on July 20 a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia, warning that Saudi-linked vessels transiting the strategic waterway would be targeted. Shortly afterwards, the group reinforced the warning by emailing shipping companies, directing them not to load or unload cargo at Saudi ports or risk being attacked “in any location” within its operational reach. This is a major escalation of the latest simmering regional conflict to be reignited by the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran.

The warning has revived concerns over the security of one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors. Even without a complete closure, the threat of attacks was enough to influence commercial decisions, because disruption in this narrow waterway can have consequences that extend far beyond West Asia.