Houthis Blockade Saudi Oil Exports Through Bab al-Mandab Strait

The Houthi forces in Yemen, backed by Iran, have secured control over the entire Red Sea coastline in western Yemen, including the Bab al-Mandab Strait. This strategic location is crucial for Saudi Arabia's oil exports, and the Houthis have vowed to block Saudi vessels from passing through the strait but not those of other countries.

The Houthis' advance on the Bab al-Mandab has been rapid, with them seizing Mocha, a port city along the Strait, after fierce fighting with government forces. They also landed on Mayun Island off the coast of the strait and secured control over six areas covering 5,400 square kilometers.

The Houthis' blockade of Saudi oil exports has further complicated US President Donald Trump's exit strategy for the war with Iran, which he insisted would end after the November midterm elections. The closure of the Bab al-Mandab Strait means oil tankers can only be deployed via routes through the Suez Canal north of the Red Sea or Egypt's Sidi Kerir port.

Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, congratulated the Houthis on their 'resounding victory' and taunted the US by saying that the cost of the economic crisis and Trump's ambitions will be borne by the American people and their allies.