The role of maritime security has once again become central after the recent attacks in the Persian Gulf by the Houthi guerrillas, guilty of preventing cargo and military patrol ships from transiting along the southern coasts of the Gulf, especially near Yemen. Furthermore, after the recent escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Yemeni movement has openly called for a ceasefire in Gaza and the immediate end of the Israeli blockade on the Palestinian enclave as a condition for putting an end to the attacks in the Red Sea. In January 2024, the United States and the United Kingdom conducted air strikes against several targets linked to the Houthis in Yemen, after having ordered the movement several times to stop raids against ships – especially merchant ships – transiting the Bab El-Mandeb Strait.
This scenario of insecurity makes it necessary to take positions and initiatives such as the one that the IAI, International Affairs Institute, proposes for Tuesday 30 April in which these issues will be addressed with experts in the field to generate a debate by pragmatically planning effective solutions so that the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf can continue to maintain economic relations without risking conflicts.