The Houthi blockade of Bab el-Mandeb is reckless provocation that threatens global energy markets, with over 7% of world oil supply at risk. Saudi Arabia's $78 billion military must defend its own tankers rather than wait for U.S. intervention. A proper U.S.-led multinational coalition — not ad-hoc strikes — is the only credible answer to Iran and its proxies holding the world economy hostage.
The Houthi blockade is a direct response to Saudi Arabia's illegal siege on Yemen and its attack on Sanaa airport — Iran's fingerprints are all over it, with IRGC elements flown in to escalate. Closing both Bab el-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz simultaneously would trigger an energy shock dwarfing anything seen before. This is Iran using the Houthis to tighten its grip on the world's most critical shipping chokepoints.
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