Qatar warns against 'catastrophic' Bab al-Mandeb closure

Qatar on Tuesday warned of dire consequences if the vital Bab al-Mandeb waterway were to close, after a months-long blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and recent Houthi attacks on the Red Sea coast, Report informs via AFP.

"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," Qatar foreign ministry official Ibrahim Al Hashmi told reporters.

He said a closure of the southern entrance to the Red Sea would be "catastrophic for the entire world. And we are already seeing the consequences... so Qatar is pushing for diplomacy, dialogue."