Turmoil in Yemen As a Long-Term Oil Market Factor

... Bab el-Mandeb, a bottleneck that separates the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. In 2013, 3.8 million barrels of crude oil flowed through the strait every day, making it the third busiest oil transit chokepoint in the world. In late March-early April, the Iran-backed Houthi militia effectively seized control over the strait, first by capturing a coastal military base and later by deploying missiles, long-range cannons and rapid boats against two islands in Bab el-Mandeb. The strengthening of their position in this ...