Bab al-Mandeb
Narrow strait between Yemen and Djibouti connecting the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean; 6-7 million barrels of oil and most Asia-Europe container traffic transits daily.
Last refreshed: 28 March 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
If Ansar Allah closes this 30km gap while Iran squeezes Hormuz, two of three global oil chokepoints shut at once.
Latest on Bab al-Mandeb
- What is the Bab al-Mandeb strait?
- A 30km-wide strait between Yemen and Djibouti connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. It handles roughly 10% of global seaborne oil and a quarter of container traffic, making it the world's third-busiest oil chokepoint.
- Will the Houthis close Bab al-Mandeb?
- A Houthi minister said on 28 March 2026 that closing the strait is "among our options." The movement demonstrated it can disrupt traffic during 2023-25 when over 100 attacks halved transit volumes.Source: event
- How much oil goes through Bab al-Mandeb?
- Approximately 4.5 million barrels per day, roughly 10% of global seaborne oil trade. It also carries about 25% of global container traffic, mostly Asia-Europe goods transiting the Suez Canal.
- Where is Bab al-Mandeb?
- Between Yemen's western coast and Djibouti/Eritrea on the Horn of Africa, at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. It is approximately 30km wide at its narrowest point.
- Bab al-Mandeb vs Strait of Hormuz?
- Both are critical oil chokepoints under threat in March 2026. Hormuz (controlled by Iran) handles 21% of global oil; Bab al-Mandeb (threatened by Yemen's Ansar Allah) handles 10%. Their simultaneous closure would be unprecedented.
Background
The Bab al-Mandeb is a 30km-wide strait separating Yemen from Djibouti and Eritrea, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. It handles roughly 10% of global seaborne oil and a quarter of container traffic. The US and France maintain major bases at Djibouti's Camp Lemonnier; China opened its first overseas base there in 2017.
A Houthi minister warned on 28 March 2026 that closing the Bab al-Mandeb is "among our options," the same day Ansar Allah fired missiles at Israel for the first time in the conflict. If enacted alongside Iran's Strait of Hormuz blockade, it would shut two of the world's three critical oil chokepoints simultaneously, a scenario without modern precedent.
Ansar Allah demonstrated it can disrupt the strait during the 2023-25 Red Sea campaign, when over 100 attacks on commercial shipping halved transit volumes and triggered the largest naval escort operation since the Cold War. Full closure would require greater capability than harassment, but the combination of coastal missiles, mines, and drone swarms makes the threat credible enough to move insurance premiums on announcement alone.
