Houthi Control of Mocha Port Sends Global Oil Prices Soaring
The Houthi rebels have gained control of the strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha in Yemen, putting them in a stronger position to control one of the world's most important shipping chokepoints.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, is roughly 29 kilometers wide at its narrowest point and is used by about 85 ships per day.
Security analyst Wolfgang Pusztai told Al Jazeera that if the Houthis control both shores of the strait, they could threaten shipping without needing missiles or drones: 'they could control it just with artillery; they wouldn't need to even use missiles or drones to attack ships.'
The disruption has already had a significant impact on global oil markets, with Brent crude settling 6.3% higher at $107.63 a barrel on Thursday.
The national average price of diesel in the US hit an all-time high of $6.05 a gallon on Friday, while regular unleaded gasoline averaged $4.29 a gallon, according to NBC News.