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Iran-backed Houthis Threaten Second Global Shipping Chokepoint
Confirmed
In Short: Clashes near Al-Hazm, Yemen, have escalated tensions, threatening the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and critical global shipping routes.
The advance threatens the southern gateway to the Red Sea, just as Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on that route to bypass Hormuz, putting pressure on critical shipping lanes on both sides of the Arabian Peninsula and raising the risk of further disruptions to oil and commercial traffic through a key global trade chokepoint. The Indian Express reported that the West Asia war led to an effective halt in vessel movements through the Strait of Hormuz, which accounted for a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) flows.
The conflict has also led to a global shortage of fuel oil used by ships and power plants, with a forecasted deficit of 218,000 barrels per day in the third quarter. Very low sulphur fuel oil, the main fuel used in shipping, had climbed 76% since the start of the Iran war to just under $825 per metric tonne, equivalent to around $130 per barrel, in Singapore as of September 1, according to bunker pricing platform ZeroNorth. This tightening market threatens to raise costs for shipowners and power generators already contending with disruptions to global energy trade.
The Indian Express further noted that the stifled supply of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) from West Asia has led to a surge in the US’s share in India’s LPG imports to over 50% in the six months since the conflict began, up from less than 10% in the preceding six months. The conflict has also raised the risk of further disruptions to oil and commercial traffic through a key global trade chokepoint, with oil prices rising above $100 a barrel.
In response to the escalating tensions, US President Donald Trump rejected a request from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to order strikes against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, reported, citing two US officials. MBS called Trump twice on Thursday, urging US military action as Houthi forces advanced towards the strategic Bab el-Mandeb shipping chokepoint. The development comes as the US-Iran conflict intensifies across the Red Sea, Yemen, and the Strait of Hormuz, with attacks on shipping increasing and oil prices rising.
What's confirmed
- The advance threatens the southern gateway to the Red Sea, just as Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on that route to bypass Hormuz, putting pressure on critical shipping lanes on both sides of the Arabian Peninsula and raising the risk of further disruptions to oil and commercial traffic through a key global trade chokepoint. The Indian Express reported that the West Asia war led to an effective halt in vessel movements through the Strait of Hormuz, which accounted for a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) flows.
- The conflict has also led to a global shortage of fuel oil used by ships and power plants, with a forecasted deficit of 218,000 barrels per day in the third quarter. Very low sulphur fuel oil, the main fuel used in shipping, had climbed 76% since the start of the Iran war to just under $825 per metric tonne, equivalent to around $130 per barrel, in Singapore as of September 1, according to bunker pricing platform ZeroNorth. This tightening market threatens to raise costs for shipowners and power generators already contending with disruptions to global energy trade.
- The Indian Express further noted that the stifled supply of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) from West Asia has led to a surge in the US’s share in India’s LPG imports to over 50% in the six months since the conflict began, up from less than 10% in the preceding six months. The conflict has also raised the risk of further disruptions to oil and commercial traffic through a key global trade chokepoint, with oil prices rising above $100 a barrel.
- In response to the escalating tensions, US President Donald Trump rejected a request from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to order strikes against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, reported, citing two US officials. MBS called Trump twice on Thursday, urging US military action as Houthi forces advanced towards the strategic Bab el-Mandeb shipping chokepoint. The development comes as the US-Iran conflict intensifies across the Red Sea, Yemen, and the Strait of Hormuz, with attacks on shipping increasing and oil prices rising.
What's still developing
- Members of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces react during what they say are clashes with Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis in a location given as near Al-Hazm, Yemen, in this screen grab obtained from a handout video released Sept. 9, 2026. (Media Centre Of The Yemeni Armed Forces/Handout via Reuters) The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported Sept. 9 that crude oil and petroleum liquids moving through Bab el-Mandeb averaged 8.1 million barrels per day in the second quarter of 2026, up from 5.4 million barrels per day in the final quarter of 2025.
- Members of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces fire a tank during what they say to be clashes with Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis in a location given as near Al-Hazm, Yemen, in this screen grab obtained from a handout video released Sept. 9, 2026. (Media Centre Of The Yemeni Armed Forces/Handout via Reuters) Reuters separately reported Thursday that Iranian arms and direct guidance from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards helped the Houthi advance, citing Yemeni government, Iranian and regional sources.
- Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin explains how attacks by Iran-backed Houthis in the Bab el-Mandab Strait could complicate U.S.
- It’s the second time in under a year that Trump has threatened Bombardier’s access to its largest market — the last time, none of his stated penalties were carried out.
- FILE - A Bombardier Global Express business jet approaches for landing in Lisbon, on June 13, 2023.