Houthi Group Expands Control Over Yemen's Red Sea Coast, Threatening Global Trade

The Iran-backed Houthi group has expanded its control over Yemen's Red Sea coast and is threatening global trade. The group has seized new territory, including the strategic port city of Mocha, and is expanding toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

According to Adam Rousselle, founder of Between the Lines Research, the Houthis have built a sprawling financial network that extends far beyond Yemen. This network includes Houthi-controlled ports, tariffs, Iranian oil, informal hawala networks, cryptocurrency exchanges, and foreign facilitators in Russia, Turkey, and Southeast Asia.

The control of ports is crucial to Houthi revenue because Yemen depends heavily on imports. The Houthis impose steep fees at the ports they control and tariffs on goods brought into their territory from rival Yemeni ports.