Houthis Seize Bab al-Mandab Strait and Block Saudi Oil

The Houthi movement launched a massive offensive beginning September 3, 2026, seizing control of Yemen's entire Red Sea coastline, including the strategic port city of Mocha and Perim Island. By September 11, the group established strategic dominance over the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a critical global maritime chokepoint. This advance followed the collapse of a 2022 truce in July, triggered by Saudi airstrikes on Sanaa airport after an Iranian aircraft landed there.

Simultaneously, the Houthis and Iran-backed militias in Iraq targeted Saudi Arabia's energy infrastructure. Drone strikes launched from Iraq's Maysan province damaged the East-West Pipeline, forcing the Government of Saudi Arabia to shut down the artery as a precaution. This disruption, combined with an Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, effectively halted millions of barrels of daily oil exports, driving Brent crude prices above $100 per barrel.

In response, Saudi Arabia conducted hundreds of airstrikes across Yemen and requested direct military intervention from the United States. Donald Trump rejected these requests, stating the Houthis expressed a desire to avoid direct conflict with Washington, though he provided intelligence and targeting support. The conflict has caused a severe humanitarian crisis, with the United Nations reporting over 100,000 people displaced and hundreds of casualties.

Diplomatic efforts to manage the Strait of Hormuz stalled after a regional meeting in Oman was postponed. Iran continues to demand the lifting of U.S. sanctions and the end of a naval blockade as conditions for reopening the waterway.