Iran-backed Houthis threaten Red Sea blockade against Saudi Arabia The war in Iran could soon expand to the Red Sea after Iranian-supported Houthi forces announced that they would block shipping from Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally. The Houthis, a political-religious faction in Yemen, announced the blockade July 20.
The group controls a narrow waterway known as the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world's most important oil shipping routes. It’s connected to the southern part of the Red Sea and has been used as an alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for oil and natural gas.
The Iran war has limited ship travel through the strait. Closing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait could trigger a fresh surge in crude prices, disrupt fuel supplies and add strain on the global economy, Reuters reported. Here's the critical shipping route Can't see our graphics?
Click here to reload the page. Iran had been pressing the Houthis to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait if the United States continued to attack Iranian power infrastructure, a move that would put two of the world's most vital energy arteries at risk, according to Reuters.
A full closure of Bab el-Mandeb could reduce global oil supply by 7% because it would leave most Saudi oil exports unable to leave the region, adding to the 10% cut in oil flows from the war in the Gulf. Ship traffic slows in Bab el-Mandeb Strait The United States and Iran signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding on June 17.
That included 60 days for negotiations on navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and on Iranian nuclear and missile systems. The ceasefire ended July 8 when President Donald Trump said it was over after fighting renewed. Iran has retained control of the Strait of Hormuz despite repeated U.
S. strikes. Chokepoints in the world's global oil supply Because of the massive amounts of petroleum, other liquids and liquified natural gas that flow through them, chokepoints – narrow passages along popular international maritime routes – are vital to the world's energy trade and security.
The simultaneous disruption of several transportation routes, including energy, shipping and air cargo, is expected to increase global inflation and put key world economies at risk of stagflation. That's on top of existing political and tariff disputes, according to Oilprice.
com. The Houthis said the blockade against Saudi Arabia was in retaliation for what they called the country’s long-running blockade or “siege” of Yemen’s airports and ports. The latest incident came July 13, when Yemeni government forces attacked Sanaa airport in Yemen to prevent an Iranian aircraft carrying a delegation of Houthis from landing.
17 US military deaths reported in Iran war The confirmed U.S. military death toll in the war with Iran rose to 17 after two American soldiers were killed in Jordan, the Pentagon announced July 19. The service members were identified as 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Pvt.
Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas. Their deaths are the latest in a conflict that has claimed American lives across the Middle East since March. Trump has said the U.S. military campaign has left Iran "very badly damaged" with "very little left" militarily.
Contributing: Fernando Cervantes Jr.