Houthis seize Mokha, increasing pressure on a vital Red Sea route

Background

Two separate sea passages matter here. Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the open ocean; Bab el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. Saudi Arabia can move oil across its territory by pipeline to Yanbu on the Red Sea, avoiding Hormuz. But a tanker sailing south from Yanbu towards Asian customers still needs to pass Bab el-Mandeb. Attacks near that passage can therefore threaten an alternative to Hormuz. Ships may take other routes, but longer journeys raise transport costs and delay deliveries. Control of a nearby port is different from closing the waterway itself.

How it developed

1. Earlier context: shipping diversions and Saudi oil exports
   How it started

   Attacks had already pushed ships towards longer routes

   Houthi attacks on commercial shipping began disrupting the Red Sea route in late 2023. Some operators diverted vessels around southern Africa instead of using Bab el-Mandeb and Suez. That avoided the threatened passage but required a longer voyage. The current conflict has added pressure on Saudi exports from the Red Sea. The US Energy Information Administration’s September outlook described reduced exports from Yanbu and greater use of the northern route through Suez. Those changes preceded the capture of Mokha. They explain why a new military advance near the southern passage has consequences beyond Yemen.

   US Energy Information AdministrationUS Energy Information Administration
2. 10 September 2026: capture of Mokha
   New fact

   Mokha changes hands as fighting moves down the coast

   Houthi forces took Mokha from government-aligned forces on 10 September 2026, Yemeni military sources said. Reuters reported that government forces were relocating towards Dhubab, farther south. That area and nearby islands matter because they overlook approaches to Bab el-Mandeb. The capture expands the Houthis’ coastal position, while fighting and control farther south remain fluid. It increases the risk facing shipping without proving a complete blockade. Reports of territorial gains should therefore be kept separate from confirmed vessel movements and cargo volumes.

   Reuters / Business StandardBBC / Yahoo

Key terms