Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis reached the strategic island of Perim in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Friday, four Yemeni government sources told Reuters, moving to tighten their grip on a vital global shipping route in the widening Middle East war.
Earlier, two sources from the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised Yemeni government said its forces had pulled out of Perim and that the Houthis had also taken the mainland Red Sea coastal town of Dhubab, which faces the island.
If the Houthis gain control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz, it could give their backer Iran a critical advantage in its war with the US, reducing supplies through a second major corridor and further raising oil prices.
The war began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran six months ago and Hormuz, conduit for about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade, was effectively closed. Since then Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter and a close US ally, has relied on the Red Sea route. Iran and the US have escalated attacks this week on Gulf shipping. US President Donald Trump has jacked up economic pressure on Tehran.
Iran confirmed on Friday that its representatives and those of Iraq and the Gulf Arab states would meet in Oman on Monday to resume discussions on safe commercial shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a speech marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the US, Trump called Iran "the world's number one sponsor of terror". Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian responded by saying the accusation came from "the same devils" responsible for an apparent US strike on a school at the start of the conflict in February.
Satellite imagery verified by Reuters showed smoke on Thursday in the vicinity of Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline, a vital means for the kingdom to divert crude exports from Hormuz.
The pipeline was temporarily shut on Thursday following attacks, Saudi state media reported, citing a source in the energy ministry, who added that the attacks resulted in a number of injuries.
There was no confirmation from Saudi Arabia of any incident in the area. The Saudi government media office and state oil giant Aramco did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Saudi crude supply fell 2.3 million barrels per day on the month in August to 6 million bpd, the lowest in more than three decades, the International Energy Agency said on Friday, partly due to the targeting of ships transiting Bab el-Mandeb by Houthi-linked groups.
Oil prices dipped on Friday but were on track to end the week above $100 a barrel for the first time since mid-May.
Vessels tracked transiting the Strait of Hormuz fell to seven on Thursday from 11 the previous day, preliminary ship-tracking data showed on Friday, below the 10-day average. Before the war, the strait typically handled about 125 large commercial vessels per day.
The Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said maritime navigation remained safe for all shipping except Saudi vessels subject to a previously announced ban.
"We will continue to enforce blockade for blockade and escalation for escalation until the aggression stops and the blockade on our people is lifted," he said, referring to Saudi attacks on Yemen.
YEMENI GOVERNMENT FORCES PLOT COUNTER-OFFENSIVE
Yemeni government forces indicated they would try to retake areas captured by the Houthis – mountain fighters who withstood years of devastating Saudi airstrikes during Yemen's civil war – in their lightning offensive this week along the Red Sea coastline.
They announced they would deploy weapons and aircraft to eliminate any movement of the "terrorist" Houthi militias in strategic areas, including the road leading to the coastal city of Mocha, which the militant group captured on Thursday along with the Red Sea islands of Hanish.
Reuters reported on Thursday that the dramatic Houthi advance down Yemen's Red Sea coast came with direct guidance from Iran's Revolutionary Guards seeking to open a new front in the war with the US, according to Yemeni government, Iranian and regional sources.
Iran told the Houthis last week to escalate their attacks on Saudi Arabia and promised more funding, weapons and senior officers to help them do so, two Iranian sources said.
Iran describes the Houthis as an ally but publicly denies giving them military direction, saying they are "not a proxy".
SAUDI CROWN PRINCE ASKED TRUMP FOR HELP, SOURCES SAY
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump at least twice on Thursday to request US military help in fighting the Houthis, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday, confirming an earlier report by Axios.
Washington told Riyadh it was not willing to take direct military action for now but would help with intelligence sharing and targeting, the two sources said.
The White House did not address a Reuters question on any phone calls between the two leaders, but a senior administration official speaking on the condition of anonymity said Washington was in continuous dialogue with Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government.
The Saudi government media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump's approval ratings have slid during the war to a record low ahead of November's US midterm elections.
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