Houthi Advance Threatens Global Oil Trade, Raises US Intervention Fears

The Houthi movement's recent advance has sent shockwaves through the region, threatening global oil trade and raising concerns about U.S. intervention.

The Houthis, an armed political movement that controls much of Yemen's territory, claimed control over Yemen's Red Sea coastline earlier this month, including the Port of Mokha.

This marks the group's first major military advance in nearly five years and shatters a de facto ceasefire brokered by the United Nations. The Houthis' rapid capture of the port has further threatened global oil trade at a time when the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has already spiked energy prices worldwide.

The Houthi's advance also brings them within 80 miles of Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, which houses the United States' only permanent military facility on the continent. The group's strengthened presence in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a crucial chokepoint at the southern end of the Red Sea, gives them control over the island of Perim and allows them to more aggressively harass and disrupt maritime traffic.

The Houthis have also expanded their battle space and forced any multinational effort to confront them and their Iranian patrons to divide their attention. This development comes as the United States has been signaling for several years that it will eventually terminate U.S. funding for UN logistical support for the African Union's stabilization and counter-al-Shabaab mission in Somalia.

The Houthi gains also complicate efforts by the Arab Gulf states to establish a common position for negotiating with Iran on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The kingdom has already begun canceling key oil shipments to Europe, and the Houthis' control of Red Sea shipping corridors further compounds a disastrous period for Saudi energy shipments.