According to the Reuters agency, the Yemeni group “Ansar Allah” intends to set a fee for commercial ships in exchange for passage through the Bab el-Mandeb strait. Essentially, this meant creating its own system of “sea duties” on one of the world’s most important trade routes.

According to the agency, the Yemeni Houthis came up with this idea after they announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia and began attacking the kingdom’s ships and oil infrastructure.

As “Reuters” notes, the initiative to set a fee for crossing the Bab el-Mandeb strait was discussed during the visit of the Houthi delegation to Tehran. It should be noted that only in the case of global oil trade, 10-12% of supplies are carried out through the Bab el Mandeb Strait. The strait is considered the most important sea trade route connecting Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Concerns have arisen in a number of US and European political centers that the situation in the Straits of Hormuz and Bab el Mandem could become a “Pandora’s box” for other sea routes in the world.

It is believed that in the coming months, it will be vital for Trump and the United States to take decisive actions to overcome the deepening crisis in the Middle East. Otherwise, using the straits as a tool for political pressure and bargaining could become a new global trend. In addition, regional countries are already beginning to be suspicious of the effectiveness of US actions, being concerned about their possible consequences.

It is noteworthy that the Ministry of Defense of Saudi Arabia has already announced the holding of a meeting on the creation of a “Multinational Coalition for Maritime Security” yesterday. The goal of the coalition should be to strengthen security and defense in the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. According to the ministry, thirteen Middle Eastern states have expressed support for the idea of ​​creating a “Multinational Coalition for Maritime Security” and welcomed the goal of creating maritime defense structures.

We are talking about the following countries. Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Maldives, Pakistan, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey and Yemen Presidential Council Government.

It is obvious that, if this “coalition” is formed, it will also be directed against Iran’s actions (and not only). So far, it is hard to say what role the US has in this idea.

Now it is important to understand whether it means a decrease in confidence in US actions. Maybe it is an attempt to avoid future major military disasters, to unite the efforts of regional countries and to jointly solve a common problem? Or is it another alliance initiative of the USA, the goal of which will be the counterbalancing of interests in the Middle East and the formation of long-term confrontation mechanisms?

Former RA Deputy Defense Minister Artak Zakaryan

—