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

Published 27 July 2026 · india

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

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. The announcement came days after an attack on Sanaa International Airport on July 13. The Yemeni government claimed it carried out the strike to prevent an Iranian plane from landing; the Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia and responded with retaliatory missile attacks. In a statement, the group said the maritime embargo was an “eye for an eye” response both to that recent incident and to what they describe as a nearly 12-year Saudi-led blockade of Yemen’s ports and airports during the country’s civil war. The timing of the latest escalation is significant. For months, the Houthis largely confined their operations to attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, even as the United States and Israel carried out military operations against Iran. They avoided opening a direct front against Saudi Arabia, which had spent recent years trying to reduce tensions with the group after years of war in Yemen.

What is the Bab el-Mandeb and why is it so important? The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, whose Arabic name means “Gate of Tears”, separates Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula from Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. At its narrowest point, it is only about 30 km wide. Yet this relatively small stretch of water forms the southern gateway to the Suez Canal, linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and, ultimately, the Indian Ocean. Every vessel travelling between Europe and Asia through the Suez Canal must first pass through the Bab el-Mandeb, making it one of the world’s most strategically important maritime chokepoints. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), around 9.3 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products transited the Bab el-Mandeb each day in 2023. The volumes eventually dropped, following the start of Houthi attacks, by more than half, averaging roughly 4.1 million barrels per day in 2024 and remaining near 4.2 million barrels per day by 2025. The Strait’s importance stems from geography rather than size. Commercial ships transporting crude oil, liquefied natural gas, manufactured goods, food products, automobiles, and industrial equipment use the route because it offers the shortest maritime connection between Europe and Asia. Instead of sailing around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, vessels can transit the Bab el-Mandeb and the Suez Canal, saving both time and fuel. The difference is substantial. A diversion around the Cape of Good Hope typically adds 10 to 15 days to a voyage, depending on the destination. For shipping companies operating on tight schedules, longer voyages reduce the availability of vessels, disrupt logistics networks, and raise freight charges.