Study: Iran is looking for a foothold in Bab al-Mandab to put pressure on the international community

English - Monday 21 November 2022 الساعة 02:54 pm
Mocha, NewsYemen:

 A research study concluded that the international conflict in the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait is an ideological struggle and a struggle for hegemony and influence, warning at the same time of the role played by the Houthi militia - the Iranian arm in Yemen - to implement Iran's agenda.

The study, issued by the South24 Center for News and Studies, said, "Southerners are now aware of the international and regional competition over the strait, the importance of securing it from the dangers that threaten it, and the possibility of benefiting from this conflict in the service of their southern cause."

And it recommended that the policy makers in the south give the Bab al-Mandab Strait more space in the political discourse directed abroad.

 It pointed out that the Bab al-Mandab represents one of the most important sea straits in the world due to its geopolitical location in the Middle East, which is very rich, not only in energy sources that are the lifeline for Europe, the United States of America and the world, but also in geopolitical, sectarian and ethnic conflicts and the repercussions of the ambitions and influence of major global and regional powers looking for a foothold or sectarian, political or economic influence in this region.

It saw that the competition between international and regional powers was intensifying to gain a foothold in the strategic strait or its surroundings.

The study sheds light on the emerging force in southern Yemen under the delusion of the Southern Transitional Council, a strong ally of important regional countries, which constitutes - this force - a tributary to its efforts to confront the Iranian tide in the region, especially in the Arabian Peninsula.

She stated that the southerners deal with the regional and international competition over the Bab al-Mandab Strait with a high degree of rationality and balance in the proposal and objectivity in calling for its investment.

 The study said that the large international and regional presence in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Horn of Africa is disguised under pretexts other than those it declares, because these countries justify their presence by raising the slogans of combating piracy, smuggling, terrorism and logistical supply, but in reality they hide their real goals of presence, which lie in domination and extending influence for political purposes in the first place.

It concluded by saying, "The political, economic, security, and ideological conflict between the regional powers in the Middle East is not far from the Bab al-Mandab Strait. All competing powers are looking for a foothold and a role to play in the strait to put pressure on the international and regional community to accept its policy, as Iran does."