AI Summary
5 min readThe Strait of Bab el-Mandeb, a narrow 18-mile-wide waterway at the southern end of the Red Sea, has become the latest flashpoint in the war with Iran. While most attention has focused on the Strait of Hormuz, through which Persian Gulf oil traditionally flows, the Bab el-Mandeb has quietly become a critical alternative route—and now that route is under threat. In late November 2023, Yemen's Houthi rebels, who are allied with Iran, seized control of Barim Island, a strategic piece of land right in the middle of the strait. The capture gives them effective veto power over one of the world's most important trade chokepoints.
What the Bab el-Mandeb carries
In normal times, nearly 15% of global seaborne trade passes through the Red Sea, including 30% of the world's container traffic, 12% of oil traded by sea, and 8% of liquefied natural gas. The Bab el-Mandeb is the narrow southern entrance to that sea; at its top end, the Suez Canal connects to the Mediterranean. Since Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz more than six months ago, Saudi Arabia and its allies have been routing oil through Red Sea ports and out through the Bab el-Mandeb as a workaround. That alternative route has been a lifeline—both for the Saudis and for global oil markets trying to keep prices from spiking further.
The Houthis' move
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:08) **Episode Introduction: The Strait of Bab el-Mandeb** - The hosts introduce the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb as a new strategic chokepoint, 1,300 miles from the Strait of Hormuz, and set up the episode's focus.
- 2 (02:14) **The Red Sea’s Importance to Global Trade** - The hosts detail the massive volume of global trade that passes through the Red Sea in normal times.
- 3 (03:02) **The Houthi Takeover of Key Terrain** - Rachel Ziemba explains that the Houthi rebel group has seized control of a swath of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including the strategically vital Perim Island.
- 4 (04:43) **The Strait as a Critical Alternative Route** - The hosts explain why the Bab el-Mandeb Strait became a lifeline after the Strait of Hormuz was closed, and how that lifeline is now under threat.
- 5 (05:58) **Immediate Economic Impact and Supply Deficits** - The episode details the immediate market reaction and the underlying economic fragility exposed by the Houthi advance.
- 6 (06:48) **Beyond Oil: Fertilizer, Natural Gas, and Helium** - The hosts explain that the strait is not just about oil; it is a conduit for a range of other critical commodities.
- 7 (07:25) **The Cost to American Consumers and Global Alliances** - Ziemba outlines how the disruption will filter through to the U.S. and strain international relationships.
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Show Notes
Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.
Your Next Listen
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