Arabic version: وزير الخارجية اليمني المكلّف يحذّر من استراتيجية الحوثيين في البحر الأحمر

According to Al Jazeera, Yemen’s Houthi movement is seeking to replicate Iran’s approach in the Strait of Hormuz by controlling shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea. Afrah al-Zouba, foreign minister-designate for Yemen’s internationally recognised government, issued the warning while speaking to journalists at the Yemeni embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Al-Zouba said the Iran-backed Houthis had been emboldened by what he described as an insufficient international response to their regional activities. He warned that copying the Iranian model could affect two major straits, which serve as gateways into the Gulf and the Red Sea.

Bab al-Mandeb links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean. About 30 percent of global container traffic passes through the Red Sea, along with 12 to 15 percent of overall global trade. Yemen’s western geography gives control over that area significant influence on maritime traffic, while data cited by Al Jazeera showed only 11 commodity vessels passed through the Red Sea on Sunday.

Tensions have risen between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, as well as Yemen’s internationally recognised government. Earlier in July, the Houthis declared a maritime siege on Red Sea shipping travelling to and from Saudi Arabia and launched missiles and drones at the kingdom. Riyadh subsequently carried out air strikes on Hodeidah, a key Yemeni port city held by the Houthis.

Al-Zouba said government forces were exchanging fire with the Houthis along front lines but had not launched an offensive. Nearly 20 fighters from both sides were killed in clashes around Hodeidah earlier this month. The escalation is described as the largest since a 2022 truce. The Houthis, who seized Sanaa in 2014, remain in control of the capital and other parts of Yemen as of 2026.