RABAT, September 11. /TASS/. A potential closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden in the Arabian Sea, due to hostilities in southwestern Yemen poses a grave threat to the primary oil supply route from the Middle East to Asian nations, Iraqi energy expert Ziyad al-Hashemi warned.
"Disruption of shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait would primarily strike the main artery for Saudi oil shipments destined for Asian markets," the news portal Baghdad Today quoted him as saying. The expert believes that "the danger of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait closing lies in the threat of disrupting Saudi oil exports to Asia - amounting to approximately 5 million barrels per day - which could have a direct impact on global markets."
Al-Hashemi explained that "a halt in these shipments could trigger turmoil in the oil market and drive up prices, particularly on the spot market." In his view, "a simultaneous stoppage of oil exports through both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait could cause severe disruptions to oil supplies, especially those bound for Asian markets."
The situation in Yemen escalated sharply in early September when the Yemeni Houthi rebel movement, Ansar Allah, launched an offensive in the country's southwest. At the same time, it began launching missile and UAV strikes against coastal areas along the Red Sea and the vicinity of the city of Taiz, seeking to cut off access routes to the port of al-Mocha and advance toward areas along the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait.