Updated

Updated · PBS NewsHour · Sep 11

Houthis Seize Mokha, Threatening $1 Trillion Red Sea Trade as Oil Stays Above $100

Updated

Updated · PBS NewsHour · Sep 11

Houthis Seize Mokha, Threatening $1 Trillion Red Sea Trade as Oil Stays Above $100

Q: With Houthis seizing the strategic port of Mocha, will the critical Bab al-Mandab Strait be entirely cut off from global shipping?

No. The seizure of Mocha would not by itself entirely cut off the Bab al-Mandab Strait to global shipping, but it would sharply raise the risk of disruption. Mocha is strategically important because it sits near the southern Red Sea approach to Bab al-Mandab, and Houthi control there would deepen their reach along Yemen’s western coast. That could make it easier for them to threaten ships with missiles, drones, mines or small-boat attacks, and to pressure traffic moving toward the Suez route. Analysts and shipping risk firms have already warned that even incomplete Houthi control can deter carriers and insurers. But “entirely cut off” is a much higher threshold. The strait is a major international waterway, not a port entrance that can be closed simply by taking one nearby city. Anti-Houthi forces say they are reinforcing Mocha, and maritime security patrols led by regional and Western partners remain focused on keeping the lane open. Even during earlier Houthi attacks, shipping through the corridor fell sharply rather than stopping completely. The more likely outcome is not a total closure but a more dangerous and costly route. Some vessels may still transit under naval protection or with higher insurance, while others reroute around the Cape of Good Hope, adding time and expense. So the capture of Mocha increases Houthi leverage over Bab al-Mandab, but it does not automatically mean a full blockade of global shipping.

3 articles · Updated · PBS NewsHour · Sep 11

Mokha's fall puts Houthi forces about 80 kilometers from the Bab el-Mandeb, tightening their grip on a key Red Sea approach and raising the risk Yemen's 2022 truce collapses into renewed civil war.
The rebels are shifting pressure onto Saudi Arabia, declaring a blockade and targeting Riyadh's Red Sea oil export route after attacks on Saudi oil facilities and utilities wounded dozens.
That advance also endangers a government-held aid entry point in a country of more than 40 million, reviving fears of famine and a broader humanitarian crisis.
The threat reaches beyond Yemen because the Red Sea corridor carries about $1 trillion in goods annually, just as Iran's pressure on the Strait of Hormuz has already pushed crude back above $100 a barrel.