Qatar today warned that a closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, now controlled by the Hutis rebels of Yemen, pro-Iran, will be “catastrophic” for the world economy.
© AFP via Getty Images
15/09/2026
by
Lusa
“ The world already suffers enough with the closure of the Strait of Ormuz, we cannot allow ourselves to add Bab al-Mandeb to this equation [...]. The consequences would be catastrophic”, said Ibrahim al-Hashmi, a head of Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a press conference.
“Qatar therefore defends diplomacy and dialogue,” he added.
Saudi Arabia, a regular target of the Hutis in recent days, has today issued a warning about the risk of attacks in three regions, including the holy city of Mecca, for the first time since the start of the Middle East war.
On the other hand, the UN Security Council today addresses the situation in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, subject to an offensive by the Yemeni rebels.
The meeting, which is scheduled for the intervention of Yemen and Saudi Arabia, is scheduled for 3:00 in local New York (20:00 in Lisbon), at the request of France, which holds the monthly presidency of the Security Council in September.
In recent days, the pro-iranian group of hutis inflicted heavy defeats on yemeni government forces and saudi ally.
The offensive allowed the Hutis rebels to strengthen the control over the strait in the Red Sea, a strategic passage for ships linking Europe to Asia.
Bab el-Mandeb became even more important due to Iran's blockade of the Strait of Ormuz, in the Persian Gulf, since it was attacked by the United States and Israel in late February.
About 20% of the energy products were circulating through the Strait of Ormuz before the start of the Israeli-North American war against Iran, which Tehran's response extended the conflict to much of the Middle East.
The war triggered oil prices and generated fear of a global economic crisis.
This morning at the opening of markets, Brent's reference price for Europe was USD 107.8 per barrel.
The recent increase has been attributed to the temporary closure of the East-West pipeline of Saudi Arabia, after being hit by allegedly fired drones from Iraq, in addition to the difficulties encountered by oil tankers in the Strait of Ormuz.