Red Sea trade risk rises in critique of Trump policy

A Mail Online opinion article published Oct. 13 said Donald Trump faces a foreign-policy test from 130 armed conflicts globally and a reported Houthi strike on Riyadh airport.

Mark Almond’s commentary said the reported weekend missile attack killed 14 people and injured hundreds more, and linked it to risks for the Red Sea corridor, which it said handles roughly 30% of global container traffic.

The article framed the Saudi incident as part of a broader critique of Trump’s second-term foreign policy, from Ukraine to the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. It contrasted that record with Trump’s stated ambition to be seen as a peacemaker.

Almond quoted Trump’s January inauguration address last year, when the president said, “My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier.” He also cited Trump saying last week, after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to UN human rights commissioner Navanethem Pillay, “I saved more lives than anyone in history.”

The commentary’s central Middle East point concerned the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the narrow passage between Yemen and the Horn of Africa that connects the Red Sea with the route toward the Suez Canal. The article said the corridor carries oil, liquefied natural gas and container ships transporting goods including cars, electronics and household appliances.

Almond compared that risk with pressure around the Strait of Hormuz, which the article said had been disrupted by an Iranian blockade. The commentary said that disruption pushed energy prices higher and threatened supplies of fuel and fertiliser, both of which feed into industrial and agricultural production.

The article described the Houthi movement as an Iranian-backed militia and said the reported Riyadh airport attack showed that its missiles and drones could penetrate Saudi defences. The supplied material did not include independent confirmation of the casualty figures, the strike details or the military assessment.

The piece also raised doubts about whether Washington under Trump would intervene to protect commercial shipping around Bab al-Mandab. It said U.S. carrier strike groups were deployed in 2024 under Joe Biden to counter Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, while describing those efforts as ineffective.

No dated next diplomatic, military or market catalyst was included in the supplied material. The commentary ended after arguing that Trump had shown unwillingness to protect anything beyond American interests, but the provided extract cut off before completing that example.

Source: opinion article, Mail Online, Oct. 13