Bab el-Mandeb Strait Closure Threat: Iran has warned that it will block the Bab al-Mandeb Strait- a narrow passage that sea traffic uses to reach the Suez Canal- should the United States and Israel increase the war by attacking its islands, including Kharg.
Why Iran Is Threatening To Block The Bab el-Mandeb Strait?
The Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world is usually shipped, is already under chokehold by Tehran. Any kind of interference at Bab al-Mandeb would further propagate the economic consequences of the conflict in the Middle East.
The passageway between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden serves about 12 per cent of the world’s seaborne oil, and is the fourth-largest shipping route in the world. It is located south-west of Yemen, where the Houthis who are backed by the Iranians are established.
Iranian Tasnim News Agency quoted Tasnim News Agency sources because of the imminent naval likely attack on Iran by the enemy, which on land would have targeted the Iranian islands or any other part of its territory, or would have cost Iran, which would have been retaliated by the Iranian naval forces in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.
Sources added that they will open other fronts as a surprise so that their move will not only fail to serve them positively but will also increase their expenses twofold.
What do you need to know about Bab el-Mandeb Strait?
Bab el-Mandeb, like Hormuz, is also a narrow maritime passage. The strait, which is also called the Gate of Tears, is approximately 29 kilometres at its minimum.
The Bab el-Mandeb is a stretch that links the Red sea to the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea. It borders Yemen with the Horn of Africa state of Djibouti and the Eritrea state. It is a strategic path of international trade and energy just like Hormuz. It links West Asia, Africa and Europe.
According to CNN, approximately 12 per cent of all seaborne traded oil in the world, together with a large percentage of liquefied natural gas, transits through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait annually.
According to the US Department of Energy, 2023 witnessed passages through Bab el-Mandeb of around 8.8 million barrels of oil per day and huge shipments of LNG through the route. It is also an important route through which ships pass to the Suez Canal.
The major Red Sea trade route experiences the passage of goods to the tune of $1 trillion (Rs. 93.95 lakh crore) annually through it.
What happens if Bab el-Mandeb is closed by Iran?
When the Bab el-Mandeb, such as Hormuz, becomes closed, even additional ships will be forced to use the scenic route of sailing around the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa.
This may take a 20 to 25-day trip or up to 30 to 40 days. This, on its part, will raise the shipping costs and thus everything will be expensive.
A report released in March 1, 2021, indicates that shipping giant Maersk has already stopped part of transit along the Red Sea due to concerns that the route might soon become unsafe.
Maersk Danish container shipping group said it would temporarily suspend future Trans-Suez operations, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, because of the worsening security situation in the Middle East region following the intensification of the military conflict.
Crude oil price that has been over 100 a barrel (Rs. 9,395) for the past few days may also skyrocket.
