NEW: Allowing the Houthis to consolidate control over the Red Sea coastal plain would enable the Houthis to assert illegal authority over international maritime traffic in the Bab al Mandeb Strait, which would be extremely detrimental to US interests. The Houthis' recent military activity in the Red Sea coastal plain indicates that the group is trying to reinforce its de facto control over the Red Sea coast in tandem with its efforts to assert illegal authority over maritime traffic. (1/2) Other Key Takeaways: The Houthis are using their ability to threaten international shipping to deter the United States from providing more significant support to Saudi Arabia against the Houthis. The Houthis have effectively told the United States that the group will not attack international, non-Saudi vessels if the United States refrains from supporting Saudi Arabia and confronting the Houthis. This diplomatic “understanding” is intended to deter the United States from becoming more involved in the conflict by warning that the Houthis could attack international vessels if the United States supports Saudi Arabia militarily. The current Houthi military campaign against Saudi Arabia is malignant and imposes economic costs on the entire international community, not solely Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s largest oil producers, and attacks on its major oil refineries and other facilities contribute to high oil prices worldwide. Saudi and international attempts to restrain the Houthis through mediation or contact with Iran are unlikely to succeed because the Houthis are an independent partner of Iran that pursues discrete objectives. The Houthis’ campaigns in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and the Red Sea simultaneously advance both Houthi and Iranian objectives, which makes it further unlikely that Iran would try to “rein in” the Houthis.