Terrorist organizations have also become involved in the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran a conflict that has engulfed the Gulf nations.
Hezbollah terrorists are launching attacks on Israel from Lebanon. One of the reasons the initial peace talks stalled was that, while Israel remained committed to a peace agreement with Lebanon, it was absolutely unwilling to remain passive in the face of actions by Hezbollah terrorists. Meanwhile, Houthi rebels are also active in Yemen. The Bab al-Mandeb is another critical route in the Red Sea for the supply of oil and gas to the Gulf nations.
Oil and gas from the Gulf statesparticularly Saudi Arabiaflow through this very channel. This route accounts for ten percent of the global oil and gas trade. Through Bab al-Mandeb alone, approximately four million barrels of crude oil pass daily. Now, the Houthi rebels have issued a threat: if the United States does not lift its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz and alter its aggressive stance toward Iran, they will block the Bab al-Mandeb route as well. If this secondary route is shut down, the primary gateway leading to the Suez Canal will effectively be sealed off.
This route facilitates rapid and cost-effective trade between Europe and Asia. Although the majority of trade typically flows through the Strait of Hormuz, the significance of this alternative route has surged following the blockade imposed on Hormuz. Houthi terrorists are now threatening to target this vital passage. The nations embroiled in this conflict must reflect upon the predicament this situation poses for the global community. Nature created these waterways to facilitate the exchange of global trade, not to serve as instruments of bullying or coercion.
It is the height of inhumanity to disrupt supply routes merely to assert dominance on the world stage especially when these very routes serve to deliver oil and gas to needy nations across the globe. Ideally, after two months of stoking conflict, the parties should now approach peace negotiations with an open mind; however, even before the talks have begun, they are already rolling up their sleeves for a confrontation.