Senior Yemeni political figures and analysts warned that the Houthi militia's takeover of the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait represents a direct expansion of Iranian regional leverage over global maritime trade routes. In exclusive interviews, former Houthi spokesman Ali al-Bukhaiti and a senior Yemeni analyst identified as H. detailed the extent of Iranian military guidance and the economic consequences of the takeover.
"Houthi control in Bab el-Mandeb is Iran's control over another strait," former Houthi spokesman Ali al-Bukhaiti stated. "Iran and the Houthis will thus be able to strangle the global economy and exert additional pressure on the Trump administration until they reach a settlement with him, which will likely be in favor of Iran and these militias".
The senior analyst H. emphasized that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel operating out of Sanaa provided essential tactical support, missile guidance, and operational planning. "Of course there is very clear Iranian support for the Houthis regarding Bab el-Mandeb, I think that without this support, the Houthis would not have been able to take control of the strait in the way they did now," H. explained. "The military support from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian experts present in Sanaa, the military capabilities, the assistance in launching missiles and in military planning, all these things helped the Houthis reach Bab el-Mandeb, threaten maritime traffic, and impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia".
Al-Bukhaiti warned that control over the waterway allows the militia to secure weapons shipments from foreign suppliers while establishing new revenue streams by extorting commercial shipping vessels. "The Houthis' control over Bab el-Mandeb will increase their power and their ability to confront Israel, it will also make it easier for them to obtain more Iranian weapons and more support, from China, Russia, or other parties," al-Bukhaiti noted. "In the near future, as soon as there are clashes or a new war between Iran and the US or problems between Israel and the Palestinians, the Houthis will rush to block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait".
The former spokesman added that the movement intends to monetize its position over international shipping lanes. "Their goal is not only to confront Israel and the US, their goal is to become a regional power and blackmail the countries passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait so that they pay them transit fees," al-Bukhaiti said. "The organization is in the process of imposing transit fees on ships crossing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, this will provide the Houthis with huge revenues and increase their military capabilities in the future".
Analyst H. noted that the expansion into the Red Sea aims to compensate for strategic losses suffered by Iran elsewhere in the region. "The US should be concerned because the Houthis' control over Bab el-Mandeb will gradually lead to the strengthening of Iranian influence there, and to the continued large scale and intense flow of Iranian weapons and Iranian experts to the region, with the aim of compensating for the huge loss Iran suffered in the Strait of Hormuz," H. stated.
Al-Bukhaiti concluded that upcoming American political milestones could alter Washington's military posture regarding the waterway. "I estimate that after the mid-term elections, the American president will act to resolve these issues, the resolution could be through a political agreement with them, or by raising the level of confrontation," al-Bukhaiti stated.
