Houthis’ seizure of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and Perim Island gives them leverage over a chokepoint that has grown more important since the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed.
The Houthis now control Yemen’s Red Sea coast and Perim Island, placing artillery within range of ships transiting Bab el-Mandeb.
Bab el-Mandeb’s importance rose after Tehran sealed the Strait of Hormuz, prompting Gulf exporters to divert flows through the Red Sea and the Suez route.
Ocean. Long navigationally risky — called the "Gate of Tears" — it has become a strategic chokepoint in the broader U.S.-Israeli war on Iran after Tehran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz. The Houthis' recent seizure of Yemen's Red Sea coast, including Perim Island, gives them a direct position to threaten commercial traffic.
In a swift offensive the Houthis ousted government forces and took control of Yemen's Red Sea coast and Perim Island, where the UAE had previously built a drone airbase. Perim sits at the Red Sea's narrowest point, about 12.5 miles wide, and placement of artillery there could allow Houthi forces to target vessels transiting the strait without using missiles or drones, according to a Houthi statement cited in the reporting.
Recent history and regional dynamics
Control of the strait has shifted among several actors. Earlier this year the UAE ceded control of Bab el-Mandeb and Perim to Saudi Arabia following their internal dispute over backing Yemen's internationally recognized government. In 2023 the Houthis previously sealed the strait to pressure Israel over Gaza, prompting U.S. military strikes and later a temporary ceasefire. The current Houthi advance comes at a time when Gulf exporters already rerouted through the Red Sea and the East-West pipeline to avoid Hormuz.
A new flash point in the Iran war: The narrow strait called the 'Gate of Tears' Nabih Bulos To visit Bab el-Mandeb is to understand that old adage about looks being deceiving. For this humble fishing village in Yemen, a tumbledown grouping of barely-there huts nestled between the water and an imposing mountain range, s
(The Hill) — Iran is set to announce a “restricted zone†close to the Strait of Hormuz following recent exchanges of fire between the U.S. and the Middle Eastern country. According to a Sunday report by Press TV, an Iranian state media outlet, a new restricted zone was set to be declared near the strai
Иран заявил о полном закрытии Ормузского пролива для судоходства на фоне нового обострения конфликта с США. Тегеран также намерен расширить ограничения и создать новую закрытую зону в Персидском заливе, сообщает Lada.kz со ссылкой на РИА Новости.
Iran’s threat to target American warships with an enhanced ballistic missile appears to mark a new and potentially more dangerous phase of the Middle East conflict, six months in. Tehran says its solid-fuel Qassem Basir missile enables it to “take action against any threat, even before it is carried out.” Reports have
Such assaults put the Strait of Hormuz under growing pressure as global crude prices skyrocket.
The U.S. military is helping oil get out of the Persian Gulf on tankers, but Iran is still attacking the ships and scaring operators away.
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