Iran Backs Houthi Push for Bab al-Mandab Control, Raising Leverage Over Saudi Oil Route

3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 11

Iran on Friday publicly backed Houthi rebels as they press an offensive on Yemen’s Red Sea coast aimed at seizing the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The strait is a critical chokepoint for Saudi oil exports, so full Houthi control would give Tehran added leverage in its confrontation with the Trump administration.
Iran paired that support with denunciations of U.S. and Israeli “oppression,” tying the Yemen battlefield to its broader regional standoff with Washington and its allies.

Sources

Left80%

Center20%

How will the global economy survive if proxy forces completely choke off the Red Sea's most vital shipping artery?

Could this proxy control over a critical oceanic chokepoint force a radical global shift toward alternative energy sources?

Can naval patrols truly protect global trade when the deadliest threats are launched from hidden inland rebel bases?