Global oil crisis deepens after Houthis claim control of vital shipping route
Houthi rebels have seized control of Yemen's Red Sea coast and strategic islands, threatening a critical global shipping corridor. This escalation follows months of regional instability and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Why it matters
The control of this chokepoint poses a significant threat to global energy supplies and international maritime trade routes.
THE IRAN-BACKED HOUTHIS have seized control of Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast and captured three strategic islands on Friday, in a lightning offensive that cemented their hold on a vital shipping corridor linking Europe and Asia.
The developments are likely to deepen the Middle East war’s impact on international commerce, as Saudi Arabia shut down an oil pipeline following attacks, and after months of Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, has relied on the Red Sea ever since Iran’s Hormuz blockade choked off its shipments via the Gulf.
Following a week-long offensive that has left hundreds dead, government officials said the Houthis seized the Yemeni side of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the southern gateway to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
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