Bab al-Mandeb sees 25 commodity ships pass through

A total of 25 commercial freight vessels passed through the Bab al-Mandeb strait on Thursday, while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains low, with only two tankers transiting, according to Kpler shipping data cited by Reuters.

Of the 25 vessels in Bab al-Mandeb, 18 entered the waterway, and seven exited.

This included several oil tankers, among them two very large crude carriers (VLCCs), one Suezmax tanker, and five Aframax vessels.

Meanwhile, neither of the two ships that transited Hormuz had cargo on board.

Italy’s defense minister defends Gulf troop deployment

Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has rejected opposition criticism about the deployment of troops and military assets ⁠to the Gulf ⁠region, saying the mission’s framework had been properly disclosed.

According to the defense ministry’s website, about 400 Italian air force personnel have ⁠been deployed to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain since March.

Lawmakers from Italy’s centre-left Democratic Party have accused the government of failing to seek parliamentary authorization for the mission, saying Saudi Arabia was outside the scope of ‌a mandate approved for overseas military assignments.

Crosetto, a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, dismissed the criticism, saying the mission’s “legal and operational framework” had been presented “with the utmost transparency”.

Meloni’s government voiced support for Gulf allies after they came under Iranian retaliatory ⁠attacks following US and Israeli attacks on Iran, saying partner countries in the region had requested air-defense and counter-drone support.

Then the website exposes that Italy is at least involved in preparatory activities for attacks on Iran.