The West faces dire consequences if the Iran-backed Houthi aggression in the southern Red Sea persists. Beyond the intermediate inflation threat caused by shipping disruptions and skyrocketing container rates due to rerouted merchant ships around Africa's Cape of Good Hope, the long-term game is even more troubling: America's "credibility and deterrence" is quickly eroding. This perceived weakness could embolden China to escalate disputes in the South China Sea, sensing a weakening West becoming increasingly entangled in multiple conflicts, including those in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Former Navy Seal and Blackwater founder Erik Prince wrote on X this weekend about the Houthi rebel missile attack on Greek-flagged oil tanker MV Sounion about 77 nautical miles west of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah last week that eventually led to a massive explosion and potential environmental disaster.
"Where is the rightful outrage from environmentalists? Thousands of tons of crude oil will now pour into the Red Sea," Prince wrote on X, adding, "Thousands of tons of crude oil will now pour into the Red Sea."
To put things in perspective, Sounion is hauling 150,000 tons of crude—a little more than four times the amount spilled by the Exxon Valdez in 1989.
Ten months after Houthi forces in Yemen started disrupting maritime traffic in the Red Sea, global shipping companies have had to reroute merchant ships around the Cape of Good Hope. This has resulted in delays and higher container costs that will only worsen as capacity stretches thin.
Meanwhile, the US and EU have launched numerous military operations committed to ensuring freedom of navigation and maritime security in the highly contested region but have failed repeatedly.
Prince said, "This is a clear sign of the collapse of American credibility and deterrence. Letting the Iranian proxy Houthis shut off a major maritime seaway is an epic fail."
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