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WITH free transit of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz blocked due to the US-Iran conflict, a new chokepoint has emerged in the region: Bab al-Mandeb on the Red Sea. If free flow of marine traffic is also blocked through this passage, the impact on global commerce would be catastrophic, while the hostilities in and around the Gulf would surely spread to the Red Sea and its environs.
Yemen’s pro-Iran Houthi militia had announced a blockade of Saudi ships after Sanaa airport was bombed on July 13, and an aircraft flying in from Iran was diverted to Hodeida. The Houthis have blockaded the Red Sea before, stopping all traffic to and from Israel after the Gaza massacre started, in solidarity with the Palestinians. But the latest closure may have a much wider global impact, considering the situation in Hormuz. It is keeping this in mind, as well as its own dependence on Bab al-Mandeb for energy supplies, that Pakistan on Wednesday condemned the closure, and warned against any attempts to target its vessels. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed his solidarity with Saudi Arabia during a call with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman yesterday.
