Saudi Arabia is pressing the Trump administration to end its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and return to negotiations with Iran over fears that the US move could lead to the closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is another vital waterway in the region, as it connects the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, and it could be closed by Yemen’s Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, who are allied with Iran and have previously demonstrated their ability to impose a blockade on the waterway.
In response to Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza, the Houthis effectively shut the strait to Israeli-linked shipping by attacking and boarding several commercial ships. Both President Biden and President Trump attempted to end the blockade by bombing Yemen, but both campaigns failed.
Trump’s bombing campaign in Yemen, dubbed “Operation Rough Rider,” was conducted from March 15 to May 6 and ended in a ceasefire between the US and Yemen after the US failed to stop Houthi attacks on Israel. According to Yemeni media reports, the Houthis still view that ceasefire as in effect even after they launched a few missiles at Israel in support of Iran at the end of March.
The Saudis, with significant US support, waged a brutal war against the Houthis from 2015 to 2022, which killed at least 377,000 people, but failed to oust Ansar Allah from power in Sanaa, which it first captured in 2014 and still controls today. The Ansar Allah-led Yemeni government controls an area where about 70% to 80% of Yemenis live, most of the territory of what used to be the country of North Yemen.
One reason why the Saudis sued for peace with the Houthis was the fact that Ansar Allah was able to strike oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and the UAE with its missiles and drones, which could be another potential escalation if no deal is reached between the US and Iran and the region plunges back into full-blown war.
