Qatar has called for international efforts to keep Bab el-Mandeb open, warning that losing another major shipping route while the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked would be “catastrophic”.
Ibrahim bin Sultan Al Hashmi, director of media and communication at Qatar’s foreign ministry, told Tuesday’s briefing in Doha that closing the entrance to the Red Sea would worsen the disruption already caused by the Hormuz blockade.
“The world is suffering enough with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, so we cannot also afford to add the Bab al-Mandeb into that equation,” said Al Hashmi.
“The whole world is going to suffer and it’s going to be catastrophic for the entire world,” he said.
He said the blocking of international waterways could not become the “new normal” and urged countries to work together to prevent it.
Houthis in control
The warning comes after the Iran-backed Houthis seized more islands in the southern Red Sea, strengthening their position in and near Bab el-Mandeb.
Internationally-recognised government and Houthi officials both said on Monday that the group had captured the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands following the withdrawal of government-allied forces. The Houthis had already taken the coastal port of Mokha and Perim Island at the very entrance to the strait.
Saudi Arabia backs Yemen’s internationally recognised government, whose forces have been trying to regroup after the losses. The Houthis have also launched multiple attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and ships in the Red Sea, after announcing a blockade on Saudi shipping in July.
Those attacks have placed further pressure on energy supplies during the Iran war. On the other side of the Arabian Peninsula, US and Iranian blockades have already disrupted shipping through Hormuz.
Why Bab el-Mandeb matters
Bab el-Mandeb, whose name in Arabic means “Gate of Tears,” links the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea, meaning vessels travelling between Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal must pass through it.
Earlier Houthi attacks forced many vessels to sail around southern Africa instead, adding time and expense to their journeys, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline allows it to bypass Hormuz by moving oil to Red Sea ports — but tankers sailing south from those ports still need to pass through Bab el-Mandeb.
Al Hashmi said Qatar was working with regional and international partners to support talks on freedom of navigation through Hormuz, and urged diplomacy to resolve the conflicts.
“It is not an impossible task because at the end of the day, the only solution will be through the negotiation table and that’s what we are working diligently on,” he said.