Yemen's Houthis Have Issued Their Ultimatum To Trump

They are threatening to close another key sea strait.

The deputy foreign minister of the Houthi government in Yemen has threatened the complete closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The ultimatum was issued to US President Donald Trump in response to "policies that obstruct peace". The statement came amid a worsening situation in the region's other key strait, the Strait of Hormuz.

As "Real Time" reports, Hussein al-Ezzi, deputy foreign minister of the Houthi government, made the tough statement. If such a decision is made, he said, "all of humanity and the genies will be completely powerless to open it."

"Therefore, Trump - and the countries that condone him - had best put an immediate end to policies that obstruct peace and show respect for the rights of our people and country," al-Ezzi said.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and is one of the world's most important transportation arteries. About 12% of all offshore oil transportation and 8% of the world's liquefied natural gas passes through it. The Iranian-backed Ansar Allah group, better known as the Houthis, controls much of Yemen, including the capital Sana'a, giving it influence over shipping in the strait.

The threat comes amid escalating tensions over another strategic route, the Strait of Hormuz, through which more than 20% of the world's oil and LNG supplies pass. On April 17, after reaching a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, Iran announced the opening of the strait. However, the very next day Tehran closed it again, explaining that the U.S. did not end the naval blockade of Iranian ports. On the same day, it became known that at least two merchant ships were fired upon while trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz.

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