Houthi Gains Threaten Red Sea Oil Routes

The supplied material does not contain the substantive body of the Al Jazeera liveblog. It includes only the headline, the source publication and URL, and fragments of website interface text such as “Advertisement,” “16 Updates,” and a prompt inviting readers to receive instant alerts. Consequently, there is not enough verified article content to provide a comprehensive account of the reported developments, chronology, statements by officials, or reactions from the parties involved. The headline indicates that the live coverage concerns the Iran war and presents two reported developments: an assertion that the Houthis control the Red Sea coast and a claim that a Saudi pipeline has been shut down. It also labels the coverage as related to Donald Trump, suggesting that the liveblog may include political or military developments involving him. However, the supplied text does not explain who made these claims, when the events occurred, what areas of the Red Sea coast are involved, which Saudi pipeline is affected, or what consequences may follow. It also provides no corroborating details, casualty figures, official responses, or independent assessments. The available material is therefore best classified as incomplete source data rather than a full news article. The extracted entities and features below are limited to information explicitly present in the headline and publication metadata. No additional facts have been inferred from the headline, and the apparent claims about territorial control or infrastructure disruption should not be treated as independently verified based solely on this excerpt.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement has claimed a major military advance along the country’s western Red Sea coast, while sources cited by the BBC say the group has seized Perim Island at the entrance to the Bab al-Mandab Strait and captured the strategic port city of Mokha. A Yemeni military official told AFP that the Houthis now control the entire coastline, although the group’s own statement did not specifically mention Perim Island. The developments could give the Houthis increased leverage over one of the world’s most important shipping routes. The Bab al-Mandab Strait has become even more significant after the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the conflict between the United States and Iran. Saudi Arabia relies on the Red Sea route to transport oil to Asian customers. The Houthis say international shipping is safe, but they have threatened to target Saudi vessels. The offensive began on 3 September, according to Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea, who described it as a response to Saudi “aggression”. The group claimed to have expelled Saudi-backed forces from six districts in the Taiz and Hodeidah regions and said hundreds of troops had been killed, wounded or captured. Saudi Arabia has not publicly commented on the latest territorial gains. The escalation has also drawn diplomatic pressure on the United States. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly urged US President Donald Trump to take military action, but Trump has so far declined to deploy American forces directly, instead offering intelligence and targeting assistance. Fighting has caused a reported surge in oil prices and widespread displacement. Saudi-led air strikes have targeted Houthi-controlled areas, while the Houthis have launched missiles and drones at southern Saudi cities and oil facilities. A separate drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline was reportedly traced to Iraq’s Maysan province. The International Organization for Migration said at least 46,000 people had been displaced since the latest escalation, with many families fleeing for a second or third time. The Houthis have controlled much of Yemen, including Sanaa, since ousting the internationally recognised government in 2015; a fragile truce effectively collapsed in July.

The live report describes the economic and geopolitical effects of the escalating Iran war and related Houthi advances in Yemen. U.S. diesel prices reached a record national average of $6.05 per gallon, more than 60% higher than a year earlier, raising concerns that transportation companies will pass increased fuel costs on to consumers. Brent crude prices also rose sharply before easing below $105 per barrel, while U.S. inflation remained elevated at 3.4% year over year. According to multiple reports, Iran-backed Houthi forces seized Yemen’s Red Sea port of Mokha, the island of Perim, and the remaining islands under government control in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. These positions could enable the Houthis to threaten commercial shipping and Saudi oil exports more easily. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly urged President Donald Trump to take military action against the Houthis as they advanced along Yemen’s western coast. Saudi Arabia also shut sections of its East-West oil pipeline after drone attacks caused injuries and damage. The pipeline is a major alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, transporting an estimated 5 million to 7 million barrels of oil per day from eastern Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea. The report further covers delayed Israel-Lebanon peace talks, increased violence involving Hezbollah, a war of words between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and a rebound in U.S. stocks after oil prices declined. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also held separate meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian ahead of a BRICS summit. The supplied article ends mid-sentence during that final update.

The article reports that Iran-backed Houthi fighters have captured Mayyun Island, also known as Perim, a strategically important island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The island divides the narrow waterway into two shipping lanes, and its seizure followed the withdrawal of Yemeni government forces. Local officials and eyewitnesses said Houthi fighters were deploying along the strait and moving in military vehicles, effectively giving the group control of Yemen’s Red Sea gateway. The reported offensive also included the capture of the port city of Mokha, the town of Dhubab, the coastal village of Murad and Zuqar Island. Government forces on the Hanish Islands were reportedly besieged, with more than 2,000 soldiers appealing for rescue, food, water and air support. If confirmed, the offensive would place Yemen’s entire Red Sea coastline under Houthi control. The article highlights the global economic significance of the development. The Bab el-Mandeb links Asian and European trade through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, while the Bab el-Mandeb and Strait of Hormuz together handle more than a quarter of global seaborne crude oil and petroleum shipments. Nearly one-third of global container traffic passes through the Red Sea. A Houthi-controlled strait, combined with an Iranian blockade of Hormuz, could force shipping companies to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope, adding weeks, insurance costs and fuel expenses to journeys. Although Houthi officials claimed international shipping was safe, they later said Saudi vessels were excluded from that assurance. The takeover comes amid renewed fighting with Saudi-backed Yemeni forces, Houthi attacks on Saudi targets and rising oil prices. The article also examines the uncertain likelihood of intervention by the United States, Turkey or Pakistan, noting that Washington was reportedly reluctant to launch strikes while involved in its own conflict with Iran.

The article describes a worsening threat to oil exports from the Persian Gulf as regional tensions disrupt both major maritime routes used to transport crude. Houthi militants backed by Iran have expanded their control of Yemen’s Red Sea port of Mokha, placing additional pressure on a strategically important corridor for Gulf energy shipments. This development threatens to further restrict access to the Red Sea and complicate the movement of Persian Gulf oil to global markets. The Strait of Hormuz, another critical export route, is also described as increasingly dangerous. The article reports numerous attacks on vessels and says that at least 22 sailors have been killed since February. With shipping companies facing heightened security risks, Gulf producers are running out of safe and practical alternatives for exporting oil. Saudi Arabia has been particularly affected, with its oil exports falling to their lowest level in 13 years. The disruption could have broader consequences for global energy supplies and oil prices, although the article does not provide a specific price forecast. It emphasizes that the problem is not limited to one isolated attack or one shipping lane: control of ports, threats to vessels and instability around the Strait of Hormuz are combining to squeeze the region’s energy corridors. The United States is attempting to secure maritime routes, but the article portrays Washington’s options as limited. Efforts to protect shipping may not be sufficient to end the wider conflict or quickly reduce energy costs. Overall, the report presents a stark picture of strategically important waterways becoming less accessible, placing pressure on Gulf oil exporters, shipping crews and international energy markets.

Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after it was struck by a drone, adding to mounting disruptions affecting energy shipments across the region. Baghdad and Riyadh said the attack originated in Iraq, where Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias operate, although responsibility had not been definitively established. Iraq dismissed a military commander linked to operations in Maysan province and began investigating the attack, while also closing the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iran as a precaution. The pipeline, which transports an estimated 4 million to 5 million barrels of crude per day—roughly 4% to 5% of global supply—allows Saudi Arabia to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Tanker traffic through the strait has slowed sharply because of the war between the United States and Iran. The Saudi energy ministry said the pipeline closure was precautionary, while officials reported injuries and damage that was still being assessed. Saudi crude supplies have already fallen to their lowest level in more than three decades, according to the International Energy Agency, partly because of attacks on vessels transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The pipeline strike coincided with reports that Iran-aligned Houthi forces had seized Perim island at the entrance to the Red Sea. Control of the island and the Bab el-Mandeb could give Iran and the Houthis greater influence over a major global shipping route. The developments pushed oil prices above US$100 a barrel and raised concerns about a broader escalation as diplomatic efforts stalled. Saudi Arabia has so far refrained from retaliating, but Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly asked US President Donald Trump for military assistance. Washington declined direct military action for now, offering intelligence-sharing and targeting support instead. Yemeni government forces said they planned to counterattack Houthi positions, while the Houthis maintained that shipping remained safe except for Saudi vessels under an existing ban.

The article reports that a major Saudi Arabian pipeline leading to the Red Sea was shut down after being struck by several drones launched from Iraq. The Saudi Foreign Ministry announced the incident in a statement released early Saturday, saying the attack had occurred Thursday. The report places the strike within a broader escalation affecting critical energy infrastructure and maritime routes in the Middle East. At the same time, Iranian-backed Houthi fighters in Yemen reportedly claimed major battlefield victories, including the expulsion of Saudi forces from Yemen’s Red Sea coast. These developments raise concerns about the security of routes used to transport oil and other goods, particularly those connecting the Arabian Peninsula with the Red Sea and wider global markets. The limited excerpt does not provide details about the extent of damage to the pipeline, the duration of the shutdown, casualties, or whether Saudi Arabia attributed responsibility for the drone attack to a specific group. It also presents the Houthi account of events without independent verification or additional information about the military situation along the coast. Nevertheless, the combination of an attack on Saudi energy infrastructure and Houthi advances in Yemen suggests an intensifying regional conflict involving Saudi Arabia, Iran-aligned forces, Iraq, and Yemen. The events could create additional risks for oil exports and shipping through strategically important Middle Eastern corridors.