Since October 2023, Houthi rebels supported by Iran have reduced shipping through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea by engaging in missile attacks and boarding of vessels transiting the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait.  Aerial attacks by the U.S. and Isreal have reduce the capacity of the rebels along the Red Sea littoral in past months.  During the past week, U.S. naval vessels successfully engaged anti-ship cruise missiles aimed at merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden after they departed from the port of Djibouti.

Restoration of free passage through the Suez Canal and Red Sea and onwards into the Indian Ocean will reduce transit cost for containers and bulk cargos currently interdicted by the Houthi rebels.  It is now possible that events in Syria and Lebanon with obvious implications for weapons supplier RIran will reduce the intensity of attacks and allow resumption of unrestricted passage.  The U.S. Navy supported by other nations is commended for its efficiency and ability to protect mercantile commerce albeit at the expense of U.S. taxpayers.