Italy to send warships to Bab al-Mandeb, bypassing EU

Italy will send warships to safeguard its commercial vessels transiting the Bab al-Mandeb strait, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto announced on Thursday, bypassing what he called bureaucratic delays in European Union decision-making as the narrow waterway faces mounting threats from Yemen's Houthi movement.

A Unilateral Move

"I have decided to activate the Italian Navy to prepare what is necessary to guarantee the safe transit of Italian ships," Crosetto said in a statement, according to the Daily Sabah. He added that he and Italy's chief of defence staff had agreed to mobilize the navy to prepare "whatever is necessary" to secure Italian merchant shipping.bairdmaritime+1

Crosetto warned that closure of the strait would carry direct consequences for the Italian economy and consumers. "We cannot allow bureaucratic delays in decision-making to aggravate an already complex situation," he said. Rome's decision to act independently of the EU reflects frustration with the pace of a coordinated European response, even as multiple member states have previously cooperated on Red Sea security operations.dailysabah+1

Why the Strait Matters Now

The Bab al-Mandeb, roughly 30 kilometers wide at its narrowest point, connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and serves as a gateway for traffic heading to and from the Suez Canal. Roughly 12 to 15 percent of global trade has historically passed through the corridor.aljazeera

The strait's importance has surged since Iran effectively seized control of the Strait of Hormuz amid its war with the United States and Israel, choking off the passage through which a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas previously flowed. Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on pipelines and Red Sea shipping to bypass Hormuz, making the Bab al-Mandeb one of the last major arteries still open to Gulf oil reaching world markets.news.cgtn+1

Houthi Advance Raises the Stakes

The urgency behind Italy's announcement stems from a rapid Houthi offensive earlier this month that brought the entirety of Yemen's western Red Sea coast under Houthi control. The Iran-backed group captured the strategic port city of Mokha and seized Perim Island at the mouth of the strait, according to the BBC. The advance has given the Houthis effectively unrestricted access to the waterway.bbc+1

The broader regional picture has grown darker. Saudi Arabia and the Houthis exchanged fresh strikes across their border on Thursday, with more than 100,000 Yemenis displaced by the latest fighting, according to the International Organization for Migration. Global crude prices remain well above $100 a barrel, and the average U.S. retail diesel price hit a record high on Thursday, just shy of $6.40 a gallon. President Donald Trump told Axios on Thursday that he faces "a big decision" on whether to escalate military action against Iran.news.cgtn

Italy's move adds another layer to an increasingly fragmented international response, as individual nations weigh the costs of inaction against the risks of deeper involvement.