Houthis Declare Naval Blockade of Saudi Arabia at Bab al-Mandab Strait

Oil chokepoints have long been pressure points in Middle-East conflict: the 1956 Suez Crisis briefly halted 1.2 Mb/d, and the 1984-88 “Tanker War” in the Gulf saw 546 ships attacked. Like those episodes, the Houthis are using geography— a 32 km wide strait— as asymmetric leverage against a militarily superior foe. The move also highlights a structural trend: as climate policy caps demand growth, producers wield control of remaining supply routes more overtly, mirroring Russia’s 2022 weaponisation of Nord Stream gas. Whether the blockade holds or not, it underscores that the global energy system remains hostage to a handful of 20th-century shipping lanes. Over a 100-year arc, repeated contests over Hormuz, Suez and now Bab al-Mandab reveal a persistent vulnerability: until trade decarbonises or reroutes through diversified infrastructure, local insurgencies can jolt the world economy at will— a reminder that geopolitical geography still trumps even the most sophisticated financial or diplomatic architecture.