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By:

Ruddhi Phadke

22 September 2024 at 10:17:54 am

Oil, Missiles and the Gate of Tears

As the Houthis target Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure, the widening West Asia conflict raises fresh concerns over global oil supplies and India’s economy. As President Donald Trump struggles to extricate the United States from the increasingly intractable conflict with Iran, the Middle East has become more combustible still. The Houthis, the Yemeni militia once regarded as a peripheral actor in the region’s wars, have opened a new front with remarkable audacity. Over the weekend, they...

Oil, Missiles and the Gate of Tears

As the Houthis target Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure, the widening West Asia conflict raises fresh concerns over global oil supplies and India’s economy. As President Donald Trump struggles to extricate the United States from the increasingly intractable conflict with Iran, the Middle East has become more combustible still. The Houthis, the Yemeni militia once regarded as a peripheral actor in the region’s wars, have opened a new front with remarkable audacity. Over the weekend, they launched coordinated strikes involving ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones against Saudi Arabia's energy infrastructure, hitting sensitive Aramco facilities in Jazan and Yanbu. The attacks were not merely another salvo in Yemen’s long war but a warning that the conflict is spilling across borders and drawing ever more of the Gulf into its vortex. This is not the first time the Houthis have targeted Saudi Arabia since the Iran conflict erupted. Riyadh and the Yemeni militia have traded blows before, in a rivalry that stretches back more than a decade. Although a fragile truce had tempered hostilities, the recent escalation has shattered any illusion of stability. Last week, the Houthis effectively closed the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait to Saudi shipping, bringing a substantial portion of the kingdom's oil exports to an abrupt halt. The narrow maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden is one of the world's most vital trade arteries, carrying nearly 10 percent of global seaborne oil. For Saudi Arabia, it is an economic lifeline, with an estimated three-quarters of its oil exports passing through the strait. By disrupting this route and now striking Aramco's production facilities in Jazan and Yanbu, the Houthis are attacking not only the kingdom’s present oil exports but also its future production capacity. These strategic blows are being delivered with relatively inexpensive ballistic missiles and drones, allowing a lightly equipped militia to inflict outsized economic and geopolitical costs. The anti-ship cruise missile – Al-Mandab, named after the strait itself, can strike targets up to 300 km away. This radar guided missile costs a few hundred thousand dollars. Cheap Weapons Another example is the QUDS - a subsonic cruise missile gifted by Iran. It can travel nearly 150 km and costs just 50,000 dollars to make the missile. Houthis also rely on cheap drones like the SHAHED series. Some of the cheaper variants like SHAHED 131 cost just 10,000 dollars. Experts highlight that the Houthis are hurting the Saudi economy with weapons that cost less than what an average American makes in a year. The Yemeni group says that they are in no mood to stop the attacks. This leaves us with two big questions: Where are Trump’s guarantees and where is Pakistan? The United States has always projected itself as a net security provider, a pitch that was sold to Riyadh for decades. Today, when Saudi Arabia is battling Houthi attacks, the United States is missing. Islamabad is missing in action too. Islamabad has a mutual security pact with Riyadh. An attack on one is to be treated as an attack on the other as per the agreement. When it comes to billion-dollar loans or weapons, Pakistan is usually the first in line. When it comes about keeping promises, Islamabad is nowhere to be seen. Coming back to the Bab-el-Mandeb (which literally translates as the “Gate of Tears”), the name now carries an ominous resonance, especially if that gateway remains closed. For Saudi Arabia, the strait is an economic artery. The kingdom’s prosperity is built on the uninterrupted flow of oil exports, and any disruption to this vital route threatens its economic foundations. Today, Iran has tightened its grip around the Strait of Hormuz, while the Houthis are turning the Bab-el-Mandeb into another pressure point. The conflict is no longer confined to Iran’s borders or its confrontation with the United States. It has spilled into the Red Sea, into the arteries of global commerce, and into the heart of the world’s largest oil-producing region. Impact on India Renewed Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, particularly targeting Aramco oil facilities, could have significant economic and strategic implications for India, one of the world’s largest crude oil importers. India imports nearly 85 per cent of its crude oil requirements, with Saudi Arabia remaining among its top suppliers. Any disruption to Aramco’s production or export infrastructure could tighten global oil supplies, leading to a spike in international crude prices. Higher oil prices would increase India’s import bill, widen the current account deficit, and put pressure on the rupee. Costlier crude could also fuel inflation by raising transportation, manufacturing and energy costs, complicating the Reserve Bank of India’s efforts to manage price stability. The attacks also heighten concerns over the security of energy infrastructure and shipping routes in the Gulf. If hostilities spill over to the Red Sea or threaten maritime traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, shipping insurance premiums and freight costs could rise. This would affect not only crude oil imports but also India’s trade with Europe and West Asia. India also has strategic interests in the Gulf due to the presence of over nine million Indian expatriates in the region, many of whom live and work in Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries. Escalating conflict could pose risks to their safety and disrupt remittance flows. While India has diversified its crude sourcing in recent years by increasing imports from countries such as Russia, Iraq and the UAE, prolonged instability in West Asia would continue to expose the Indian economy to energy price volatility. The situation underscores the importance of expanding strategic petroleum reserves, diversifying energy imports, and accelerating the transition towards renewable energy to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels.

India working on logistics of Tahawwur Rana's extradition

  • PTI
  • Feb 14, 2025
  • 3 min read

Updated: Feb 18, 2025

Tahawwur Rana

Washington: India is working on the logistics of Tahawwur Rana's surrender and extradition from the US, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has said, as President Donald Trump announced that his administration has given the go-ahead to extradite the 26/11 terror attack accused “to face justice".

“This is an issue on which the US authorities have taken very clear decisions. I think you've seen the President announce it himself from the White House podium" the decision of the US to extradite Rana, Misri said at a press conference here on Thursday.


During a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the White House, US President Donald Trump announced that his administration has approved the extradition of "very evil" Tahawwur Rana, wanted by Indian law enforcement agencies for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, "to face justice in India”.


In response to a question by PTI on the timeframe by when Rana will be extradited to India, Misri said: "We are working on the logistics of his surrender and extradition to India. There are a few final steps to be completed. The two sides are in touch on this particular issue.”


The India-US joint statement issued during the Prime Minister's visit to the US notes that Modi and Trump reaffirmed that the global scourge of terrorism must be fought and terrorist safe havens eliminated from every corner of the world.

“They committed to strengthen cooperation against terrorist threats from groups, including Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Jaish-e Mohammad, and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba in order to prevent heinous acts like the attacks in Mumbai on 26/11 and the Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan on August 26, 2021," the joint statement said.


“Recognising a shared desire to bring to justice those who would harm our citizens, the US announced that the extradition to India of Tahawwur Rana has been approved," it said.


The leaders further called on Pakistan to expeditiously bring to justice the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai, and Pathankot attacks and ensure that its territory is not used to carry out cross-border terrorist attacks.

"The leaders also pledged to work together to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems and to deny access to such weapons by terrorists and non-state actors,” the joint statement added.

Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, is currently lodged at a metropolitan detention centre in Los Angeles. He is known to be associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 attacks.

Speaking at the joint press meet, Trump said "Today I am pleased to announce that my administration has approved the extradition of one of the plotters and very evil people of the world, and having to do with the horrific Mumbai terrorist attack, to face justice in India. So, he is going back to India to face justice."


The extradition of Rana was cleared by the US Supreme Court in January as it rejected his review petition in the case.


India last month said it was working with American authorities for the early extradition of Rana.


"The US Supreme Court on January 21 declined to hear a petition from the accused. We are now working with the US side on procedural issues for early extradition to India of the accused in the Mumbai terror attack," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said.


In November 2012, Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving gunman among the Pakistani group, was hanged to death in Yerawada Jail in Pune.

-PTI

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