Project Freedom, the U.S. effort to escort commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, which began on May 5, was abruptly paused shortly after its announcement, with President Donald Trump citing “significant progress toward a potential agreement with Iran.” However, the pause of this initiative—which had originally resulted in Iranian attacks on ports and coastal infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates—does not mark the end of the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports.
Therefore, it also does not end the significant strain that the war in Iran has placed on the global economy. As the Iran War has proven, war is no longer confined to the battlefield. Economic coercion has become a central instrument in warfare, and the Strait of Hormuz is not the only chokepoint in the region.
The lesser-discussed Bab el-Mandeb Strait presents another critical maritime passage connecting the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and the Indian Ocean, located between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. Should the Houthis decide to close off that route as well, global shipping would be forced to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope, adding thousands of miles, weeks of transit time, and billions of dollars in additional costs.
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