The Bab El-Mandeb, a waterway situated between Yemen and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa, has come under threat from Iranian officials.
Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, warned over the weekend that the U.S. “views Bab el-Mandeb as it does Hormuz.”
If the White House “dares to repeat its foolish mistakes, it will soon realize that the flow of global energy and trade can be disrupted with a single move,” he said.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker, has also indicated Iranian interest in the Bab el-Mandeb, which is Arabic for “Gate of Tears,” due to its tricky navigation conditions.
“What share of global oil, LNG, wheat, rice, and fertilizer shipments transits the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait?” he queried on April 3. “Which countries and companies account for the highest transit volumes through the Strait?”
Some key shipping companies re-routed vessels away from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Suez Canal early on in the Iran war. Danish container shipping company Maersk said it had decided to “pause future Trans-Suez sailings through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait for the time being,” citing security concerns.
