In a conflict that began with strikes on Iran in late February 2026, Yemen's Houthi movement has seized the island of Perim in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait while Iranian-backed militias struck Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline from Iraqi soil — two blows landing on the same week against the arteries through which much of the world's energy flows. What is unfolding is not merely a regional war but a deliberate pressure campaign on the architecture of global commerce, with Iran positioning itself to hold leverage over two of the planet's most critical oil corridors simultaneously. The human cost rem
Houthi advances threaten dual oil chokepoints as Saudi pipeline attacked
At least 22 sailors killed in Middle East waters since the war began in late February 2026.