Houthi gains at Red Sea gateway give Iran new pressure point in regional war
Iranian officers reportedly direct offensive threatening a second shipping chokepoint as Saudi Arabia seeks US military help
Iran’s Houthi allies have seized strategic territory at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, strengthening Tehran’s ability to threaten global shipping and pressure its adversaries in the wider Middle East war.
The Houthis captured Perim Island, also known as Mayyun, in the Bab al-Mandab Strait after taking the port city of Mokha, multiple outlets reported. The group also claimed to have driven Saudi forces from six districts covering roughly 5,400 square kilometers.
“This is the first day that Iran really started winning the war,” an official from Yemen’s internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government told The Washington Post. The official said Iranians on the ground were closely directing Houthi fighters and that the operation appeared to have been prepared for months.
Reuters also reported direct Revolutionary Guard guidance, citing Yemeni, Iranian and regional sources. Two Iranian sources said Tehran had instructed the Houthis to intensify attacks on Saudi Arabia and promised additional funding, weapons and senior officers. Iran denies directing the group’s military operations.
The gains threaten a key alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian restrictions have disrupted Gulf exports. Saudi Arabia has transported crude through its East-West pipeline to Yanbu on the Red Sea, allowing tankers to sail through Bab al-Mandab toward Asia.
The Houthis’ advance increases their ability to disrupt that route, although it does not establish that the strait is entirely closed. Ships can also sail north toward Suez, but reaching Asia that way requires a lengthy detour around Africa.
Saudi Arabia’s alternative export network has also come under direct attack. Drones launched from Iraq struck the East-West pipeline, forcing a temporary shutdown, Saudi officials said.
The advances could strengthen Iran’s bargaining position while increasing pressure on Washington to widen its military involvement. Even an agreement restoring passage through Hormuz would leave the threat to shipping off Yemen unresolved.