Both the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb are closed to tankers as Houthis threaten the Red Sea and the US-Iran war enters its second month

Summary

Both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb strait are effectively closed to commercial tanker traffic as of July 22. The Hormuz closure stems from the direct US-Iran war now in its second month; Iranian forces have struck US military sites in the Gulf and in Jordan. The Bab al-Mandeb closure is driven by Yemen's Houthi forces, who have threatened and partially enforced a blockade with drones and missiles, causing tankers to turn back in the Red Sea. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators the US-Iran conflict has cost Washington US$37.5 billion so far. Al Jazeera characterises the twin closures as a compound shipping crisis for the Persian Gulf.

The split

US financial press (Forbes) frames both closures as linked pressure on the same oil export corridor, one by Iran directly and one by Iran's proxies. Japanese financial press (Nikkei Asia) focuses on the impact on Asian crude importers, who face the worst-case energy supply disruption scenario. US academic analysis (Northeastern) provides the structural context on Bab al-Mandeb's oil throughput. Al Jazeera covers both events as a breaking news update rather than analysis. No Gulf state or shipping industry official statement appeared in the verified feed docs.

By the numbers

• 2, major shipping chokepoints simultaneously closed or severely disrupted
• US$37.5 billion, estimated US war cost to date (Hegseth, July 22)
• Roughly 21 million barrels per day, combined daily oil traffic through Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb at normal operations

Why it matters

The simultaneous disruption of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb is the most severe pinch on Persian Gulf oil export routes since the tanker wars of the 1980s. Combined, the two chokepoints handle roughly a fifth of global daily oil consumption. Asian importers (Japan, South Korea, India, China) have no viable alternative routing for Gulf crude at scale. Insurance rates, re-routing costs through the Cape of Good Hope, and crude spot prices are all moving in response.

What to watch

• Whether the Bab al-Mandeb blockade hardens from Houthi threat into systematic interdiction of tankers
• Oil price movements on US crude (WTI) and Brent benchmarks
• Whether China, Japan, or South Korea activate strategic reserves
• US military response to Iranian strikes on Gulf and Jordan sites
• Whether any ceasefire or humanitarian corridor negotiation includes shipping passage as a term