How ‘triple blockade’ is choking Middle East as Iran rebels seize ‘Gate of Tears’ to paralyse ANOTHER shipping route

IRAN-BACKED Houthi rebels have grabbed a critical island that could see global trade completely paralysed through a terrifying triple blockade. The bloodthirsty Iranian proxy have vowed to seize to Bab al-Mandab Strait, also known as the Gate of Tears, a critical choke point at the mouth of the Red Sea. Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, are threatening to wreak havoc on global trade Credit: AP Ships have to pass through the 20-mile waterway between Djibouti and Yemen to get goods to or from the Suez canal – the vital artery linking Europe and Asia. A huge 12 per cent of all global trade flows through Suez. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! So controlling the Gate of Tears means the Iran-backed group could effectively hold the world’s economies hostage. And after months of threatening to hold up traffic in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the Houthis have today grabbed Perim island, which lies in the key waterway. It’s the Houthis’ biggest territorial gain in years and puts them in a strong position to threaten vessels in the Gate of Tears. Tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, between Iran and Oman, were already under threat. The US Navy are blockading Iranian ports and the IRGC are threatening to destroy all ships who pass through the waterway without permission – and now that Houthi rebels have grabbed Perim, they could wreak havoc on the world’s struggling oil supply. Oil exported from the Gulf now has to travel through three huge barriers to reach Europe – the US blockade of Iranian ports, the IRGC blockade of Hormuz and the threat from the Houthis in the Gate of Tears. Most read in The Sun They have grabbed the key island of Perim, off the Shaikh Said Peninsula in the Bab al-Mandab strait Credit: Alamy War between the Houthi’s and Saudi forces has blasted back into action in recent months Credit: EPA Military operations between Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces have intensified across Yemen, with huge casualties Credit: EPA Houthis have have seized Perim island, the port city of Mocha, and the entire coast of Yemen Credit: AP The Iran-backed rebels have claimed the waterway “is safe for all companies except for Saudi vessels”. But now they have seized Perim island, the port city of Mocha, and the entire coast of Yemen, the Iranian proxy group could broaden their blockade at any point. Retired Major General Chip Chapman, former senior British military commander to US Central Command, told The Sun that the chance of this triple blockade will send the price of petrol shooting up. He said: “Not only have you got the Strait of Hormuz, which is a choke point where you’ve got a double blockade, but this also leads to a triple blockade with the Bab al-Mandab. “That’s the significance of both the capture of Perim Island and Mocha. “A barrel of Brent Oil, the real benchmark that people use, is $104 today. It was $100 earlier in the week. That means that you’ll see your prices of your petrol going up.” He warned that it would be difficult to intervene to break up a Houthi Bab al-Mandab blockade. Yemeni government forces have withdrawn from Perim Island in response to its capture, according to officials. The Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Strait of Hormuz Credit: Getty Perim island, from which Houthi rebels could attack ships in the Bab al-Mandab strait Credit: Reuters The invasion comes amid the Houthis’ spiralling conflict with Saudi Arabia and Yemen, which has reignited in recent weeks following years of relative peace. Major General Chapman said: “It puts all those Gulf states again on the horns of a dilemma, along with the US, because they won’t, as they said today, want to intervene on behalf of the Saudi Arabians. “Because they’re already tied down with what they’re doing in the Strait of Hormuz. So it again means that this thing is an absolute mess. “It’s not terminal on behalf of the Republic of Yemeni government. “There’s a counter-attacks and attacks on both sides but it is pretty significant if they secure and hold both Mocha and Perim Island and what they do with that in terms of coastal defence, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, trying to interdict the traffic there.” The problem, Chapman said, is that Houthi strongholds are postioned in complex territory “which doesn’t really lend itself to decisive military operations”. Although the rebels have been contained over the years, their border onto the sea, especially now they have control of the entire coast works massively in their favour, Major General Chapman explained. As the traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has been halted or slowed for months during the US-Israeli war on Iran, one remaining route for oil exported from the Gulf has been Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline. Closing the Bab al-Mandab strait could shut access to the Suez canal Credit: Reuters A barrage of missiles from terror group set oil facilities ablaze and injured 73 people, including women and children Credit: Getty Satellite image show the extent of attacks on the Petroline Credit: AFP But Houthi attacks today set several sections of the Petroline ablaze, with dramatic satellite photos revealing the scale of the damage. The attacks risk dragging Saudi Arabia back into a full-scale war – making the threat of a triple blockade all the more pressing for the Middle East. Major General Chapman said the Iran will have given the Houthis “intelligence and capabilities” for the pipeline attacks. He warned: “The problem with this at the moment is the Saudi pipelines to the Red Sea have been an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz with the intent long term to make the Strait of Hormuz irrelevant. “What the Iranians have done is make the Strait of the Bab al-Mandab and the Red Sea absolutely very relevant again and that is the dilemma that we have here. “That this is the thing that could, in geographical terms and in the number of countries who might be affected and wish to join this, lead to some very widespread regional escalation.” Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia threatened to hit back after the Houthis pounded the state with their worst attack in years. A barrage of missiles from terror group set oil facilities ablaze and injured 73 people, including women and children. Hundreds of forces have died in recent days, with the UN estimating that at least 150,000 people have been killed since the civil war erupted in 2014. Many of those were killed in clashes around the Bab al-Mandab Strait. A spokesperson on Telegram said the Houthis would be announcing plans for a “large-scale high-impact military operation” in the near future. Major General Chapman said Saudi Arabia has been holding back from a launching huge attacks at the Houthis in return. He said there were three key questions that will determine whether the Iranian-backed rebels can be brought under control. “Will they fight? The Houthis certainly will in the way that the Saudis are reluctant to. “Secondly, how well will they fight? The Houthis are actually pretty decent warriors. “And thirdly, for how long will they fight? The Houthis will fight as long as they have, support in financial terms from the Iranians. “They have their own vision for the future because they’ve always lived in that northern part of Yemen, particularly in the governorate of Sada, and they’re not going to give that up. “It’s a real problem however you look at it.” Comment now