Houthi Strategy Seeks to Mirror Iran’s Control Over the Strait of Hormuz in the Red Sea

KUALA LUMPUR, JULY 2026 – The Houthi movement in Yemen is attempting to replicate Iran’s strategic approach in the Strait of Hormuz by strengthening its ability to disrupt commercial shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, according to Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

Yemeni Foreign Minister-designate Afrah Al-Zouba said the Iran-backed group wants to establish influence over one of the world’s most important maritime corridors and create a second strategic pressure point alongside the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking at the Yemeni embassy in Riyadh, Al-Zouba warned that the Houthis’ ambitions could place two major gateways—the Gulf and the Red Sea—under pressure from Iran and its regional allies. She also argued that an insufficient international response had encouraged the group to adopt a more aggressive approach.

The Bab al-Mandeb Strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean. It is a critical passage for vessels travelling between Europe and Asia through the Suez Canal.

Around 30 per cent of global container traffic and an estimated 12 to 15 per cent of total global trade pass through the Red Sea, making security around the strait crucial to the international economy. Yemen’s geography also gives forces controlling the country’s western coastline significant influence over maritime traffic in the area.

The Houthis have already demonstrated their ability to threaten shipping through missiles, drones and attacks on vessels. Such operations do not necessarily need to close the strait completely to create serious disruption.

Even limited attacks can force shipping companies to delay journeys, increase security measures or divert vessels around southern Africa. These alternative routes can significantly increase travel time, fuel consumption, insurance premiums and transportation costs.

The Red Sea has become another major front in the wider regional conflict involving Iran and its allies. The Houthis have intensified pressure on Saudi Arabia by launching missiles and drones toward the kingdom while declaring restrictions against Saudi-linked shipping.

Saudi Arabia has responded with airstrikes against locations it identified as Houthi military facilities. Riyadh has also pledged to protect commercial shipping while accusing the Yemeni movement of advancing foreign interests.

These developments have raised fears that Yemen could return to full-scale war.

The country’s conflict escalated after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. Saudi Arabia subsequently led an Arab military coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

A truce reached in 2022 significantly reduced major fighting, but recent cross-border attacks have weakened the relative calm. Saudi officials, Western diplomats and Yemeni representatives now consider a return to broader conflict more likely than at any point since the agreement was reached.