The Houthis are continuing to expand their control along Yemen's Red Sea coast and are strengthening their influence over the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb.

They have also reportedly taken control of the strategic island of Perim, which sits between the two main shipping channels through Bab el-Mandeb, as well as the coastal port city of Mocha.

The disruption of the Strait of Hormuz – particularly since both Iran and the US imposed naval blockades – has made alternative routes such as Bab el-Mandeb more strategically important to Gulf oil exporters.

A potential stranglehold over Bab el-Mandeb could send oil prices soaring, meaning that everyday life could become more expensive.

Saudi Arabia is already facing disruption to its oil export routes, with the conflict around the Strait of Hormuz forcing producers to find alternative ways to move crude. Further Houthi control around Bab el-Mandeb could threaten another route on which the kingdom increasingly depends.

The US has reportedly called off strikes on Bab el-Mandeb recently and so far rebuffed repeated pleas from Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to join the fight in Yemen. The Saudis have increased their own strikes to try and prevent the Houthis from gaining any further land.

By securing a position overlooking Bab el-Mandeb, one of the world's most important shipping arteries, the Houthis have opened a second pressure point, threatening the Saudi oil exports diverted from the Strait of Hormuz.

But why is there so much focus on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait?

How does the Bab el-Mandeb Strait impact global trade?

Named the 'Gate of Tears' for its perilous navigation conditions, the strait at the southern end of the Red Sea is located between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti and Eritrea on the African coast.

It is situated on the opposite side of the Arabian peninsula to the Strait of Hormuz, which has faced many restrictions. More focus has shifted to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and even partial disruption has proved problematic.

International energy markets depend on reliable transport routes. The blockage of oil transit through a major chokepoint, even temporarily, can lead to substantial supply delays and higher shipping costs, resulting in higher world energy prices.

Although most chokepoints can be circumvented by using other routes, it adds significantly to transit time and some chokepoints have no practical alternatives.

In late 2023, the Houthis launched a sustained campaign of attacks on shipping ​in the southern Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb, which they said was in solidarity with ​Palestinians in Gaza ⁠during the Hamas-Israel war.

The impact was immediate and far-reaching. Major shipping firms and oil companies rerouted vessels away from the Suez Canal, circumnavigating the African continent instead. This caused freight charges to surge. But even now the Bab el-Mandeb Strait remains a key route.

In the first half of 2025, the supply of total world petroleum and other liquids supply was about 104.4 million barrels per day, with an estimated 76% traveling via seaborne trade. The Strait of Hormuz saw an average of 20.9 millions barrels a day, roughly 12% of the of global petroleum liquids consumption.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait has an average of 4.2 million barrels of oil and petroleum liquids passing through it every day, 4%% of the global petroleum liquids consumption, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

What could happen if the Houthis take control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait?

Yemen has been entangled in conflict since the Houthis ⁠seized the ​capital Sanaa in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention the following ​year. A UN-brokered truce in 2022 largely halted major fighting, despite expiring six months later, but efforts to turn it into a lasting ​political settlement have stalled as regional tensions have intensified.

The Houthis' latest advances have put them in a strong position to tighten their grip over the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital chokepoint for global oil and commodities shipping, more than six months after the US and Israel attacked Iran.

A potential stranglehold over the waterway could give Iran a critical advantage ​in its war with the United States, which has already seen a sharp reduction in energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices soaring.

Oil and other major shipping would also surge in price as routes become more restricted and journeys would become longer and more complex.

But questions have arisen if the Houthis control the Strait. The UN convention on the Law of the Sea protects and allows ships and aircraft unimpeded passage through Straits.

How could the Bab el-Mandeb Strait issue impact people?

The Houthi capture of Yemen's Red Sea coastline is reshaping the balance of power in the Gulf, strengthening Iran's hand and confronting Saudi Arabia and its neighbors with a difficult choice: absorb mounting costs or seek accommodation with Tehran.

Saudi Arabia has already begun responding by increasing shipments through Hormuz, where a small number of tankers are increasingly shuttling back and forth to bring out oil, charging record fees of as much as a quarter of the cargo's value to brave the wartime risk. They then transfer the oil to other ships in the Indian Ocean, bound for customers in Asia or elsewhere.

But by securing a position overlooking Bab el-Mandeb, one of the world's most important shipping arteries, the Houthis have opened a second pressure point, threatening the Saudi oil exports diverted from the Strait of Hormuz. Those exports could face further disruption as they pass through the Red Sea.

Analysts and officials have suggested that whilst the Strait of Hormuz is cut off, further threats to shipping in the Red Sea could push oil prices even higher, worsening fuel inflation and increasing the economic cost of the conflict.

Those pressures are already beginning to spread beyond the energy market. Oil prices hit $100 a barrel on September 9, while airline company Ryanair has said that airfares may need to rise by 10% to 20% if oil prices remain elevated.

As the war's economic impact spreads beyond the Middle East and disrupts an increasing number of waterways, the costs of continued escalation will become harder for governments and businesses to absorb. For countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United States, that could increase the pressure to pursue measures aimed at de-escalation.