Not just the Strait of Hormuz. The eyes of the world turn to the “Gate of Tears”

Although President Donald Trump and his aides have repeatedly declared “close victory” over Iran, the US has still not achieved its goals in the Persian Gulf region. Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthis may join the war, greatly complicating the situation not only on the Arabian Peninsula.

Will the “Gate of Tears” be blocked? Yemen could make a big mess

Last week, the Houthis announced that they may soon join the war on Iran’s side. After this declaration, experts immediately started talking about the further expected increase in the price of a barrel of oil. All because of the critical point that is the “Gate of Tears”, the Bab al-Mandab Strait. From Yemen’s territory, it is very easy to block this area through missile or drone attacks. This cuts off the sea route through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, which are responsible for 12% of global trade.

In an interview with Interia, Dawid Czopek, an analyst of raw materials markets and manager of FIZ Polaris, explained that the threat from the Houthis is, of course, nothing new. For this reason, the largest tankers from the Persian Gulf have been taking a roundabout route for years. In his opinion, however, a certain psychological effect is possible, resulting in an increase in oil prices after a possible blockade of the “Gate of Tears”.

The importance of the Bab al-Mandab strait

– Large tankers that were supposed to sail to Europe, since the first problems with Houthi activities, have switched to the route around Africa, around the Cape of Good Hope. This route is, of course, much longer, but in the case of transporting a very large amount of oil, freight did not cause such significant additional costs – he emphasized.

He emphasized that Bab al-Mandab is the only route from the Indian Ocean towards the Suez Canal. It is still of great importance in the maritime transport of numerous goods, as well as oil from Saudi ports.

The name “Gate of Tears” comes from the difficult conditions for navigation, including: dangerous currents and reefs that have caused numerous ship sinkings over the years. According to legends, this term is also intended to remind people who drowned during the earthquake that separated Africa from Asia.