Pakistan, Sept. 13 -- The map of the Middle East is becoming more dangerous by the day. Houthi forces have pushed south along Yemen's Red Sea coast and, according to the Yemeni government, reached the mouth of the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Across the Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia temporarily shut its vital East-West oil pipeline after drone attacks originating from Iraq. With the Strait of Hormuz already severely constricted by the wider US-Iran conflict, pressure is now building around a second artery through which the world's energy and trade must pass.

Bab al-Mandab carries around seven per cent of global petroleum flows, while disruption there forces shipping away from the Suez route and around Africa at considerable additional cost. T...