Alarm in the Red Sea: Houthis target the West, the strategic island that could affect global oil trade

Perim, also known as Mayyun, is an uninhabited island in the Bab al-Mandab strait that is gaining major geopolitical importance as the conflict in Yemen enters a more tense phase. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels are attempting to extend their control along the Red Sea coast.

Bab al-Mandab connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is one of the world’s most important shipping corridors. The island lies about 20 kilometers from the coasts of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

Regional sources cited by CNN say that Houthi forces have stepped up their offensive and are moving toward the port city of Mocha, located about 80 kilometers north of Perim. If they were to seize the island, the rebels would secure a favorable position from which to threaten ships using this natural passage into the Red Sea.

An important hub of international trade

The strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab has also increased because of the confrontation with Iran and the difficulties affecting maritime transport through the Strait of Hormuz. To avoid the traditional routes through Hormuz, Saudi Arabia has redirected part of its oil exports toward the Red Sea.

A prolonged Houthi operation in Bab al-Mandab could directly affect global shipping and energy prices.

According to Kpler data, the volume of oil passing through this route has been halved compared with several years ago. About three years ago, Bab al-Mandab was estimated to account for approximately 10% of the world’s seaborne oil trade.

Saleh: It is now a geopolitical issue

Tarik Saleh, vice president of Yemen’s internationally recognized government and a military commander, has warned that a Houthi takeover of Perim would bring major changes to the situation.

He said that direct rebel control of the island and Bab al-Mandab would require the intervention of a major international force, together with military fleets, to drive them out of the area.

“It is geopolitical now,” Saleh said, emphasizing that the war in Yemen can no longer be regarded as merely an internal conflict.

Iranian support for the Houthis

Yemen’s civil conflict erupted in 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sana’a, and forced the internationally recognized government to withdraw.

Iran has provided the rebels with weapons and training, while the Houthis have significantly expanded their military capabilities. After the war in Gaza began in 2023, the group began attacking Israel and commercial ships in the Red Sea, directly linking the war in Yemen to the broader regional confrontation.

In recent months, the Houthis have intensified attacks on government forces, also putting at risk the informal ceasefire agreement that had remained in force for several years.

Mocha at the center of the fighting

Mocha has become one of the main flashpoints of the confrontation. Following a recent missile attack, the port was closed, while its director, Abdel Malek Al-Sharaabi, said the strike caused 16 casualties.