Italy to deploy warships to the Bab al-Mandab Strait

Italy will send warships to the Bab al-Mandab Strait

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto announced that the country will mobilize warships to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Bab al-Mandab Strait. He also stated that Rome would not wait for a common decision from the European Union.

"We have the capability to protect the passage," Crosetto said.

He warned that if the waterway were to be closed, the economic consequences would be very severe. The Italian Defense Minister emphasized that Rome must not allow bureaucratic delays in decision-making to worsen an already complicated situation.

Bab al-Mandab connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. It is one of the busiest maritime corridors between Europe and Asia, serving as a vital route for oil, gas, and container ships via the Suez Canal.

Historically, approximately 12–15 percent of global trade has passed through this narrow waterway, which separates Yemen from the African nations of Djibouti and Eritrea. The narrowest part of the strait is only 30 kilometers wide.

The importance of this strait rose sharply after Iran effectively took control of and closed the Strait of Hormuz during a war with the US and Israel in early 2026. As a result, the world's most important oil corridor was blocked, and most of the Persian Gulf's oil exports were diverted to alternative routes.

Saudi Arabia, in particular, is increasingly relying on pipelines and Red Sea shipping to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Therefore, Bab al-Mandab has become one of the last major arterial routes left open for Persian Gulf oil to reach global markets.

Since the outbreak of war in Yemen in 2015, disputes over control of the Bab al-Mandab have continued uninterrupted for years. The Yemeni government, the Houthis, and regional forces have controlled the shores of the strait at various times.

In recent weeks, the Iran-backed Houthi movement launched a rapid offensive, taking control of the entire Red Sea coast of western Yemen and several strategic islands. This has put the strategic importance of the strait at risk.

This advance allows the Houthis unrestricted access to the waterway. Since the group has previously attacked vessels linked to the US or its allies, this event is being viewed as a major blow to the international shipping industry.