Yemen Warns Houthis Seek Control of 30% Red Sea Container Traffic as Clashes Escalate
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jul 28
Yemen Warns Houthis Seek Control of 30% Red Sea Container Traffic as Clashes Escalate
3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jul 28
Summary
Afrah al-Zouba, Yemen’s foreign minister-designate, said the Houthis are trying to copy Iran’s Strait of Hormuz playbook by controlling shipping through Bab al-Mandeb.
Bab al-Mandeb carries about 30% of global container traffic and 12% to 15% of world trade, and al-Zouba said weak international pushback has emboldened the Iran-backed group.
Shipping is already thinning, with only 11 commodity vessels recorded in the Red Sea on Sunday after the Houthis declared a maritime siege on Saudi-linked traffic earlier this month.
July’s escalation—the biggest since the 2022 truce—has included Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and Saudi air strikes on Houthi-held Hodeidah.
Yemen’s government said it is prepared for further escalation, though no offensive has begun; nearly 20 fighters were killed around Hodeidah earlier this month in frontline clashes.
Could Iran’s shadow control over the Red Sea and Hormuz trigger a dual-chokepoint crisis paralyzing global trade?
As global focus remains on shipping lanes, are the critical undersea fiber-optic cables at Bab al-Mandeb the next target?
With Suez Canal traffic plummeting, will the global supply chain survive this shift or face an unprecedented economic shock?
Red Sea Blockade 2026: How the Houthi-Saudi Crisis Sparked a Global Shipping and Energy Shock
Overview
In July 2026, after Saudi-backed airstrikes on Sanaa Airport, the Houthi movement declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, closing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and reigniting conflict in Yemen. The Houthis enforced the blockade with missile and drone attacks on Saudi oil tankers, causing shipping chaos as vessels rerouted around Africa, increasing transit times and costs. War risk insurance premiums soared, and Saudi Arabia’s backup export routes faced severe bottlenecks, forcing more tankers on costly detours. The crisis triggered a dual-chokepoint scenario with the Strait of Hormuz, sending global oil prices surging and exposing the vulnerability of international energy and trade flows.