Yemen’s Houthi has reportedly taken control of the strategic Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to four Yemeni government sources cited by Reuters, tightening its position along one of the world’s most important maritime routes.
Two officials from Yemen’s internationally recognised government earlier said their forces had withdrawn from Perim. They also reported that the Houthis had captured the Red Sea coastal town of Dhubab on the mainland, located directly opposite the island.
Control of the Bab el-Mandeb could provide Iran with a significant strategic advantage in its conflict with the United States, as the waterway lies across the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz. Disruption at both passages could further restrict global energy shipments and put additional upward pressure on oil prices.
Houthis seize control of strategic islands around Bab el-Mandeb Strait
Houthis reached the strategic islands of Perim and Hanish as well as the coastal towns of Mocha and Dhubab, potentially tightening their grip on one of the world’s vital shipping routes through the Red Sea.
The war began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran six months ago and Hormuz, conduit for about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade, was effectively closed. Since then Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter and a close U.S. ally, has relied on the Red Sea route.
Iran and the U.S. have escalated attacks this week on Gulf shipping. U.S. President Donald Trump has jacked up economic pressure on Tehran.
Iran confirmed on Friday that its representatives and those of Iraq and the Gulf Arab states would meet in Oman on Monday to resume discussions on safe commercial shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a speech marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the U.S., Trump called Iran “the world’s number one sponsor of terror”. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian responded by saying the accusation came from “the same devils” responsible for an apparent U.S. strike on a school at the start of the conflict in February.
Source: Dunya News
