Iran and Houthis Seize Strategic Oil Chokepoints

The Government of Iran and its Houthi proxies have seized control of the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the two primary maritime chokepoints for Middle East oil shipments. In a coordinated effort to disrupt global energy supplies, Iranian-aligned forces also bombed the east-to-west pipeline in Saudi Arabia, shutting it down indefinitely and blocking the primary fallback route to the port of Yanbu.

In response to the crisis, the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia appealed to the Government of China for assistance. Beijing privately urged Tehran to rein in the Houthis to protect energy routes essential to the Chinese economy, though officials avoided explicit threats. Simultaneously, Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, urged Iranian diplomat Abbas Araghchi to persuade the Houthis to stop targeting Saudi energy and economic infrastructure.

Iran has linked regional stability to the end of the conflict between the United States and Israel. While Iran expressed readiness to revive stalled negotiations with the U.S. to end a war that began on February 28, it demands that the U.S. halt hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz and adhere to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., next week to discuss the conflict.