The Houthis intend to rename the Bab el-Madeb Strait to “Donald’s Political Death Gate”.
These men in flip-flops can effectively protect Iran from any ground invasion.
Despite the grandiose speeches of Donald Trump regarding the minor importance of the Strait of Hormuz for the United States, the price of oil is steadily increasing.
Along with it, the price of gasoline at American gas stations is also rising. At the same time, the approval ratings of the White House itself are steadily declining, not only among supporters of the Democratic Party, but also among his colleagues within the same party.
However, the problems of the 47th president of the United States do not end there, in fact, they are worsening.
His preparations for a ground operation to seize the Iranian islands Kharg, Qesm and Hormuz triggered an immediate reaction from the Houthis of Yemen.
The leaders of the Shiite Zaidi movement, Ansar Allah, have promised the “winner of everything” a challenge that will make the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz look like a children’s game.
What do the men in flip-flops mean? And how serious are their threats? But first, a bit of recent history.
A little more than a year ago, something unexpected happened in the US Navy.
For the first time in many years, Captain Dave Snowden, commander of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, lost his position due to “loss of confidence”.
Such a disgraceful dismissal indicates serious mistakes, but the official reason was a collision with a cargo ship that was crossing the Suez Canal.
Some may also remember another incident, when the captain of an American warship was punished because it was rammed by a civilian vessel, which in fact was flying the flag of Panama.
Some military analysts believe that Snowden was not forgiven for his failure to successfully complete Trump’s widely announced military operation against the Houthis in the spring of 2025.
Added to this failure is the loss of two F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft operating from aircraft carriers.
Why did we recall this story? Because it happened in the waters of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which are separated by the Bab el-Madeb Strait, which in Arabic means “Gate of Tears”.
Almost every meter of its coastline, on the side of the Arabian Peninsula, is controlled by men with Kalashnikovs, drones and missiles of all types.
And yet, through this “chokepoint” passes about 12% of global trade, not only oil, but everything that the planet buys and sells today.
It is the shortest route from Asia to Europe.
Now, while Donald Trump focuses on, according to his own numbering, the tenth reconciliation of the opposing sides, sending marines, paratroopers and other military forces to the Middle East, clouds of a new confrontation between the American Israeli coalition and the Houthis of Yemen are gathering over the “Gates of Tears”.
Is there even a one in a thousand chance that the Americans will pass through the Bab el-Madeb Strait without the consent of the Houthis?
It is extremely doubtful.
According to Western sources, the Trump administration is actively trying to reach an agreement with the leaders of the Ansar Allah movement, but they are not willing to negotiate without confirmation also from the “regime in the occupied territories”, meaning Israel, regarding the payment of compensation.
Significant number of tankers
Thus, Tehran has not only assembled a significant number of tankers, which operate in the interest of the United States, Israel and other states along one of the most important hydrocarbon transport routes in the world, but also threatens to repeat its difficult decision at another chokepoint, equally critical for global energy trade.
As the news agency Tasnim recently reported: “If even one American soldier sets foot on the sovereign territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran at the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a new front will open”.
The same agency, citing an anonymous source, notes that “the strait, known as the ‘Gate of Sorrow’, constitutes one of the most important strategic sea routes.
It is essentially the southern gateway to the Red Sea, without which the connection Mediterranean Sea–Suez Canal–Indian Ocean cannot function”.
This strait offers the shortest commercial route between Europe and Asia. When it ceases to function, commercial ships are forced to circumnavigate the African continent, causing a dramatic increase in fuel consumption, insurance premiums, delivery times and, of course, shipping costs.
However, the main feature of the Houthis’ threat lies elsewhere.
To truly “terrify” the markets, a classic blockade is not required, with an official prohibition of passage or sunken barges in the canal.
The threat of mines, missile attacks, the risk of piracy against commercial ships or even the mere creation of a level of threat that makes the route unprofitable for shipowners and insurers is enough to cause disruption.
From that moment on, the strait, which until recently remained formally open to navigation, passes into the category of economically non-functional.
As for the permanent “winner and peacemaker”, for whom such a situation constitutes a geopolitical “schism”, this is due to the fact that the Supreme Commander of the “strongest army in the world” stubbornly refuses to confront the Houthis.
Consequently, confidential reports state that there are already persistent proposals from the White House for conducting secret negotiations with Ansar Allah, for example through intermediaries in Oman.
There, Trump’s representatives do not hesitate to make fantastically generous promises, even diplomatic recognition of the statehood of the Houthis of Yemen.
In short, the determination of the American president and of the strongest army in the world appears to be out of bounds.
It is no coincidence that Donald Trump, who refused to accept the position of the Supreme Leader of Iran, while Joe Biden, with his advanced age and memory problems, watches nervously from the sidelines, systematically avoids mentioning the events that took place in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden from March to May 2025.
The leaders of Ansar Allah, however, know very well who they are dealing with, the value of any promises by the Americans and what the defeat of the Islamic Republic would mean for them personally.
At the same time, the Houthis have taken advantage of the nearly annual pause between military operations against the United States, Israel and their allies, to replenish their missile arsenals. Beijing, friendly to Tehran, has no objection to sharing information with it, and therefore also with Ansar Allah.
The statement of Yahya Sari, head of the military wing of the Zaidi Shiites, clearly reflects their fighting spirit: “Here, on this land, the failures of the American president began. And here they will become irreversible.
Every attempt by the United States to attack Iranian territory will only double their problems.
Especially because we do not believe a single word of what Trump says”.
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