Along the ancient waters of the Red Sea, where civilizations have long measured power by who controls the passage of goods, Iran-backed Houthi forces have seized a strategic Yemeni port — a move that is at once a local military victory and a signal to the wider world about who shapes the arteries of global commerce. The capture deepens Yemen's already profound suffering while placing Saudi Arabia, international shipping, and the broader architecture of regional stability under immediate pressure. In a conflict that has never been only about Yemen, this moment reminds us that chokepoints are ne