Yemen’s Ansar Allah/Houthis have said they have no intention of closing the Bab al-Mandeb Strait or disrupting general commercial navigation in the Red Sea, while signalling that they remain open to negotiations aimed at ending the country’s renewed conflict.
In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor journalist Adam Lucente, published on September 15, Abdulwahid Abu Ras, acting foreign minister of the Houthi-led administration in Sanaa, rejected mounting concerns that the group’s recent territorial advances could lead to the closure of one of the world’s most strategically important maritime corridors.
Abu Ras accused Saudi Arabia of fuelling international fears over the security of the waterway, insisting that the Houthis had “no intention to close Bab al-Mandeb or the Red Sea.” He told Lucente that navigation remained normal despite a noticeable decline in maritime traffic following the group’s rapid military advance along Yemen’s western coastline.
According to figures cited by Al-Monitor, 21 commodity vessels crossed Bab al-Mandeb on Monday, compared with 28 the previous day. Before the US-Israel-Iran war erupted in February, approximately 50 ships were using the route daily.
The assurances come after Houthi forces seized Mokha, territory around Bab al-Mandeb and several strategically positioned islands, significantly strengthening their ability to influence maritime traffic entering and leaving the Red Sea. The group has separately maintained restrictions targeting Saudi-linked shipping.
Abu Ras also sought to distance the Houthis’ latest military campaign from direct Iranian control. As Adam Lucente reported for Al-Monitor, the Houthi official acknowledged common ground with Tehran in opposing the US and Israeli presence in the region but maintained that decisions concerning Yemen were made independently. Iran has nevertheless provided substantial military support to the movement over the years.
Perhaps more significantly, Abu Ras indicated that the Houthis remain prepared for negotiations. Asked about renewed peace efforts, he told Al-Monitor that the movement was “open” to talks and spoke positively about the UN-backed diplomatic framework that followed the 2022 truce. He identified the lifting of restrictions on Houthi-controlled territory as a central demand.
The diplomatic signal comes as Yemen once again assumes growing importance in the wider regional confrontation. Control of territory overlooking Bab al-Mandeb gives the Houthis considerably greater leverage over a maritime route connecting the Indian Ocean with the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, through which a substantial share of global trade normally passes.
With the Strait of Hormuz already severely disrupted by the regional war, any sustained instability around Bab al-Mandeb could place additional pressure on international shipping, energy markets and global supply chains.