Houthis seize Perim island in Bab al-Mandab — risk to Saudi oil export routes

Houthi forces seized the volcanic Perim island (Mayun) in the Bab al-Mandab strait, a chokepoint that divides the waterway near its narrowest section.

The capture followed the withdrawal of forces allied to the UN-backed, Aden-based government and came amid a series of recent losses on Yemen’s west coast, including the fall of the port city of Mocha. Iran issued an official statement on Friday praising the Houthi advances.

Separately, Saudi Arabia said it shut the East-West pipeline (Petroline) as a “precautionary measure” after an attack by several drones it blamed on Iraq. The pipeline runs 1,201 km from the Abqaiq oilfield to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Saudi state media quoted Riyadh saying it would refrain from retaliating immediately to give the Iraqi government an opportunity to act.

Perim’s position splitting the strait strengthens the Houthis’ ability to threaten shipping through Bab al-Mandab. Saudi officials have shifted exports increasingly toward the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab after Iran’s targeting of vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

The UN migration agency reported the Houthi offensive has caused more than 500 deaths and displaced about 46,000 people. The Houthis themselves claimed they expelled Saudi forces from six districts in Taiz and Hodeidah, captured 4,500 sq miles, hit seven Saudi “military divisions” and inflicted hundreds of casualties, and said they released hundreds of prisoners; those claims are from Houthi statements.

On 14 August Saudi Arabia assembled a 14-country maritime coalition including Bahrain, Pakistan, Somalia, Djibouti, Turkey and Egypt to protect navigation in Bab al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden; reporting indicates the coalition has not yet shown a visible presence.