Strait talk: Why the oil crisis is getting worse
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NPR.
Welcome to Straight Talk, where we break down what's happening in the world's most important trade chokepoints and strategic seaways.
Straight Talk, so serious, Paddy. This is serious business, Ricky. No argument here. So let's get into it. By now, after more than six months of war with Iran, you probably know all about the Strait of Hormuz. It's the vitally important gateway to the Persian Gulf.
Today, we're going to introduce you to another strait about 1,300 miles away called the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb. The Bebel Mendeb is a narrowing of land with some islands in the middle that basically controls the southern access of the Red Sea. That was economist Rachel Ziemba. This is The Indicator from Planet Money. I'm Paddy Hirsch. And
I'm Ricky Mulvey. On today's show, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. What it is, why it's in the news, and how it might change the game in the war with Iran.
It's straight talk from The Indicator, coming up after the break.
This is Ira Glass. On This American Life, we tell stories about when things change. Like for this guy, David, whose entire life took a sharp, unexpected, and very unpleasant turn. And it did take me a while to realize it's basically because the monkey pressed the button. That's right. Because the monkey pressed the button. Surprising stories every week,
wherever you get your podcasts. Austin Tice is an American journalist who disappeared over a decade ago while reporting in Syria. And for years, we've been searching for him.
This looks like a secret passage. I'm
just pushing a door so you can get in. Go, go, go. Listen to Where Is Austin Tice from NPR's Embedded and BBC Radio 4 on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
This fall, there are a lot of movies and TV shows on tap for you to see.
What is the Strait of Bab el‑Mandeb and why is it strategically important?
And we're as excited for all of it to arrive as you are. On Pop Culture Happy Hour, we've got a guide to what's worth keeping on your radar. Listen via the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
The Red Sea is that long, narrow waterway that stretches between northeast Africa and the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula. It's a
seriously important stretch of seaway. In normal, unturbulent times, almost 15% of the global seaborne trade passes through the Red Sea. That includes 30% of the world's container traffic, 12% of the world's oil traded by sea, and 8% of the world's liquefied natural
gas. At the top end of the Red Sea, you've got Egypt and the Suez Canal, which leads to the Mediterranean. And at the bottom end, there's a narrow stretch of water that leads to the Indian Ocean and the Asian trade routes. That stretch of water is the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb. Until recently, the Yemeni government had been controlling some of that area. Rachel Ziemba covers global political and economic risk at the Centre for a New American Security. Now we have a circumstance where the Houthis, whom the government's been battling for a long time, seem to have seized that land.
Seem to have. I need straight talk, Rachel. It sounds like spin to me. The no spin zone. It's a straight no spin. The Houthis, they are a rebel group that's been slowly taking over control of large parts of the country of Yemen since at least 2014. They're allied with Iran. Some call them a proxy. And they're fiercely opposed to Israel's existence and the way Israel is conducting the war in Gaza.
In November 2023, the Houthis began targeting Red Sea shipping as a way to put pressure on Israel. They hijacked some ships and attacked others with drones and missiles.
U.S. forces punished them for this with a bombing campaign, and things seemed relatively quiet in the Red Sea for a while. But at the end of last week, the Houthis made their move, possibly in support of Iran, and seized control of a swath of Yemen's Red Sea
coast. That includes an island right in the middle of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Barim Island, what the military calls key terrain because it dominates the strait, which is only about 18 miles wide at its narrowest point. Whoever controls... That choke point can have say over which vessels can pass through.
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