Maritime Choke Points: The Geopolitical Risks of the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab
The Strait of Hormuz is still shut down, obviously. But Iran is signaling something else is coming. Another major maritime choke point is on the table.
Esmail Qaani, the head of the IRGC Quds Force, warned that if Israel keeps pushing its military actions in Lebanon and Gaza, that whole "Resistance Axis" could just bleed into shipping conditions in the Bab al-Mandab Strait .
He said continued Israeli moves would just make Iran-backed groups more determined. They’d open new fronts. More pressure on shipping routes, regional and global.
Sure, the immediate danger might have eased a bit after that US President announced a ceasefire with Hezbollah. But things are still really fragile. They could snap quickly if fighting kicks off again.
And the Bab al-Mandab . It’s thousands of kilometers from Iran’s actual borders. But Tehran could still use its regional friends to mess up traffic there.
It’s a place that matters. The strait itself. It’s called the "Gate of Tears" or something similar. It’s one of those spots that are absolutely critical for shipping. It links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. It connects the Suez Canal to the Indian Ocean.
Geographically, it’s a bottleneck. It’s pinched down to just twenty-six or twenty-nine kilometers at its tightest spot.
Right there, in the middle, is Perim Island. It’s volcanic, controlled by Yemen. It splits the water into two channels. The eastern one, the Alexander Channel, only about three point two kilometers wide. That’s the main route for commercial ships.
This whole area is the southern gateway for Europe-Asia trade. Everything moving between those continents has to squeeze through here. An estimated ten to twelve percent of global shipping goes through that strait every single year.
Thousands of container ships are making that journey. Electronics, machinery, cars, industrial stuff. Moving from Asian factories to European markets.
Then there’s the energy. It’s equally vital for oil and gas. Six to eight million barrels of crude and refined products move through Bab al-Mandab daily. Mostly heading for Europe and North America. And lots of LNG, especially from Qatar, flows through too.
Any hiccup there? Immediate fallout for global energy prices. For supply chains.
If shipping companies decide to dodge it, they have to go around the Cape of Good Hope. That adds weeks to the journey. Costs shoot up. Insurance premiums jump. Massive delays everywhere.
The real immediate headache for shipping in the Bab al-Mandab ? The Houthis.
They’re backed by Iran, strategically and logistically. They control huge parts of Yemen’s western coast, overlooking the Red Sea. They’ve shown they can hit commercial ships and warships with missiles, drones, and boats loaded with explosives.
That position gives them serious leverage. They can weaponize this corridor, making it a tool in regional conflicts.
Even though the strait is narrow, limited attacks can cause huge disruptions. Weapons launched from the land can threaten ships and warships alike. Regional players get a powerful way to influence global trade and energy markets just by acting.
And look at the shore. Djibouti dominates the opposite side. It’s become one of the most heavily militarized spots globally. They’ve got Camp Lemonnier there. The only permanent US base in Africa. Plus, China, France, Japan, Italy—all have major military installations there.
These countries are keeping a serious naval presence. It’s all about securing the routes. Fighting piracy, fighting state-backed attacks.
But the geography is brutal. Even a small attack causes massive traffic jams. It’s a choke point.
So, with the Strait of Hormuz already under strain, any trouble in the Bab al-Mandab just piles on.
Together, these two waterways handle a huge chunk of the world’s energy exports and trade. They are some of the most important choke points on the entire planet. If they get disrupted, the effect isn't local. It hits global supply chains. It crashes energy markets. It messes with international security. It’s just a massive domino effect.
Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board
Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.
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