Yemen's Iran-aligned Ansar Allah/Houthi movement has completed a rapid military takeover of Yemen's Red Sea coastline and is threatening to close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait entirely, escalating a regional conflict that has already drawn in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the United States.
Houthi forces this week seized the strategically vital port of Mocha and, according to a Houthi official cited by The New Arab, took Mayyun Island, completing effective control over the Bab al-Mandeb — the narrow, roughly 20-mile-wide chokepoint separating Yemen from Djibouti through which an estimated 12 percent of global trade passes. Yemeni government forces have launched counterstrikes along the west coast in response, and the Defense Ministry said Saturday it had hit Houthi fighters, vehicles, and weaponry, though the rebels appear to retain the upper hand.
The advance has been paired with an explicit threat against wider regional intervention. Houthi Deputy Information Minister Mohammed Mansour said closing the strait "is a viable option" should Gulf states join U.S. and Israeli operations against Iran, warning that "the consequences will be borne by the American and Israeli aggressors." A separate Houthi military official, Abed al-Thawr, said the group was weighing an initial step of a naval blockade against vessels linked to the United States and Israel before considering a full closure to ships bound for Israeli ports. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said maritime traffic otherwise remained safe for shipping not tied to Saudi Arabia, which the group has already subjected to a declared naval ban.
President Donald Trump said the Houthis have separately contacted Washington asking that it not intervene in their fight against Yemen's internationally recognized government — even as the group threatens international shipping lanes. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump at least twice on Thursday urging direct U.S. military action against the Houthis, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Washington told Riyadh it was not prepared to strike directly for now but would offer intelligence-sharing and targeting support.
The crisis has compounded an already strained energy picture. Saudi Arabia shut down its East-West pipeline, which normally carries 4 to 5 percent of global oil supply across the Arabian Peninsula, after a drone attack that Riyadh and Baghdad both said originated in Iraq. The pipeline had been serving as a workaround for Saudi exports amid disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz, where tanker traffic has already slowed sharply because of the broader U.S.-Iran conflict. Brent crude has traded above $100 a barrel this week.
Reuters reported that the Houthi offensive down the Red Sea coast came with direct guidance from Iran's Revolutionary Guards, with Tehran reportedly promising additional funding, weapons, and senior officers to the group. Iran publicly denies directing the Houthis, describing them instead as an ally rather than a proxy.
Analysts caution that full Houthi sovereignty over the strait may be overstated. Andreas Krieg, a Middle East security analyst, noted that even control of Mocha, Dhubab, and Perim island would not amount to complete command of the waterway, since its western shore lies outside Yemeni territory. Still, Fawaz Gerges of the London School of Economics called the coastal takeover "a game changer" that hands Iran significant new leverage against the United States.