Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have seized a strategic port on the Red Sea coast, bringing them to the verge of controlling the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. A closure of the strait, which has served as a detour route after the Strait of Hormuz came under dual pressure from Iran and the United States, could reshape the Middle East conflict and disrupt global maritime trade.
The Houthis captured Mokha, a major city on the Red Sea coast that serves as a gateway to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Reuters reported on the 10th. Mokha lies about 70 to 80 kilometers north of the strait. Sources said the Houthis have taken strategic islands nearby one by one and continue to advance, putting them close to securing control of the waterway.
The rebels captured key strongholds and strategic points just a month after declaring an end to a ceasefire last month. Yemeni government forces and allied Saudi Arabian troops have fought back, but appear to be struggling to halt the Houthi offensive. The rapid pace of the operations was directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to reports. Iran promised the Houthis additional funding and weapons while instructing them to escalate attacks on Saudi Arabia. Security experts view the offensive as part of a carefully calibrated Iranian strategy of asymmetric alliances.
U.S. military support has had limited effect. As many as 200 U.S. military advisers are currently stationed in Saudi Arabia, providing real-time battlefield assessments and satellite-based targeting information, CNN reported, but the Houthis have still gained the upper hand. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, has asked U.S. President Donald Trump to strike the Houthis, Axios reported.
Houthi control of the Bab el-Mandeb would create a double chokepoint for global energy shipments. Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has already severely disrupted oil and gas exports from the Gulf, and a closure of the Red Sea detour would force Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil producer, to route crude shipments through the Suez Canal or around the Cape of Good Hope.
Iran struck a U.S. Air Force base in Jordan with missiles overnight from the 8th into the early hours of the 9th, causing minor damage to nine U.S. fighter jets. Trump countered in an interview with Fox News that the United States had sunk nine Iranian oil tankers.
Meanwhile, Iran and Gulf states will hold their first ministerial talks on passage through the Strait of Hormuz in Oman starting on the 14th.
