Losing access to Bab el-Mandeb would be 'catastrophic for the entire world,' Qatar warns

Qatar has called for international efforts to keep Bab el-Mandeb open, warning that losing another major shipping route while the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked would be "catastrophic". Ibrahim bin Sultan Al Hashmi, director of media and communication at Qatar’s foreign ministry, told Tuesday’s briefing in Doha that closing the entrance to the Red Sea would worsen the disruption already caused by the Hormuz blockade. “The world is suffering enough with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, so we cannot also afford to add the Bab al-Mandeb into that equation,” said Al Hashmi. “The whole world is going to suffer and it’s going to be catastrophic for the entire world,” he said.