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Red Sea Shipping Blockade Takes the Wind Out of the Sails for World Peace
The Red Sea flashpoint takes a turn for the worse, and this only exacerbates the geopolitical tensions around the world
Do airstrikes defeat the Houthis, or does Yemen’s Red Sea crisis demand a diplomatic strategy instead?
In September 2026, the average price of diesel in the United States surpassed $6 per gallon, and crude oil broke $100 per barrel for the first time since May, signalling a structural breakdown in global shipping caused by a single militant group’s control of a critical waterway.
The Houthis, Iran-backed fighters who control large portions of western and northern Yemen, have seized control of the Red Sea coast and now sit astride the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the narrow passage linking the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. Bab el-Mandeb carries roughly 15 per cent of global maritime trade. When the Houthis deploy missiles and drones against commercial vessels, shipping companies face a brutal choice of whether to pay the rising costs of naval protection and insurance or reroute cargo around Africa. This detour adds weeks to delivery times and billions to annual shipping costs.
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