The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, often called the "Gate of Tears," has emerged as one of the world's most closely watched waterways after Iran and its Houthi allies signaled it could become the next major flashpoint in the escalating Middle East conflict.
After disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran is now threatening to extend pressure to the Bab el-Mandeb, a narrow maritime corridor linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Analysts say that if both waterways were disrupted simultaneously, the impact on global oil supplies, shipping and inflation could be severe, according to Reuters.
