Houthis seize Red Sea islands as regional tensions escalate over shipping routes

The Houthis announced Monday that their forces had seized two strategic islands in the Red Sea, a move that tightens their grip on one of the world's most vital shipping corridors at a moment when global energy supplies are already under strain. The takeover came as Saudi-backed government forces attempted to reclaim territory lost to the rebels' rapid advances around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow waterway that has become critical to international commerce since Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz in the early days of the conflict. One-fifth of the world's traded oil and gas normally passes through Hormuz in peacetime; Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on the Red Sea route as an alternative, moving crude from its Gulf ports westward through the East-West Pipeline to the Red Sea coast, where it can be loaded onto tankers for export.

The latest island seizures follow the Houthis' capture of the Red Sea port of Mokha and another strategic island the previous week, each advance narrowing the space through which Saudi shipments can move. The pressure on these routes carries immediate consequences for global oil supplies and prices, and it hands Iran additional leverage in its broader conflict with the United States. On September 10, the Houthis struck the East-West Pipeline itself, damaging a major pumping facility. Two regional officials briefed on the damage said repairs could stretch three to five weeks, during which the line would be mostly out of service, though it might operate at partial capacity while work continued. Neither official was authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

China, a major importer of Middle Eastern oil, issued a statement calling the Houthi attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure unacceptable and said it was deeply concerned about further escalations. The diplomatic fallout extended beyond energy markets. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Monday that Saudi Arabia had demanded the cancellation of a regional meeting, to be hosted by Oman, that was meant to discuss security arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz. Baghaei characterized the gathering as a proper opportunity to restore stability in the region. He also announced that Iran and Oman had finalized an agreement on the strait, to be announced later. A Gulf official familiar with the matter said Saudi Arabia had submitted amendments to the agreement, citing concerns that it could have lasting negative implications for other Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

The humanitarian toll of the escalating conflict became clearer Monday when the International Organization for Migration reported that nearly 94,000 people had fled their homes in Yemen since fighting between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and government forces intensified this month. The worst-hit areas were Taiz and Lahj, where 48,000 had been displaced. More than 2,000 people had fled across the sea into Djibouti. The International Rescue Committee said that around 200 schools in southwestern Yemen had been converted into shelters to accommodate the influx of displaced families. The World Health Organization reported that more than 500 people were killed in a single week ending Saturday, a sharp increase that has raised fears Yemen is sliding back toward the civil war that killed 150,000 people before a ceasefire took hold in 2022.

The nuclear dimensions of the regional crisis also surfaced Monday. Iran's Foreign Ministry denounced Austria's refusal to issue visas to Iran's nuclear chief and other delegation members for the International Atomic Energy Agency's general conference in Vienna. Baghaei said Tehran had summoned the Austrian chargé d'affaires and accused Austria of violating its obligations as host country. He blamed the United States for pressuring Austria to deny the visas, which are part of U.N. sanctions on Iran that were reinstated last year and include a travel ban on Iranian officials. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, speaking at the IAEA conference, criticized Iran's failure to cooperate with the nuclear watchdog, particularly its refusal to grant U.N. inspectors access to nuclear sites affected by the war. Wright said Iran had ample time to address what he called egregious negligence toward its obligations but that time had expired. He argued that granting Iran more time would only delay overdue accountability. Wright also defended a U.S.-Saudi nuclear accord signed in July, which could potentially give Saudi Arabia the capability to enrich uranium for civilian purposes and includes what he described as absolutely rigorous proliferation safeguards.