In September, the Iran-backed Houthis seized the strategic port city of Mokha and several islands near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, expanding their control over Yemen's Red Sea coastline.
Since the start of the Iran war, the Houthis have made a concerted effort to restrict oil and gas flows through the vital Mideast waterway. Experts say sustained interference in the Red Sea, especially by the Houthis, would trigger severe supply-chain delays, drive up energy prices, and further destabilize the global economy.