Isolated by Iran and Yemeni Houthi rebels, Saudi Arabia seeks US backing

Saudi Arabia stands isolated after its worst military setback in a decade. Houthi rebels from Yemen seized control of the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, commonly known as the "Gate of Tears," on Thursday, September 10, effectively barring the kingdom's oil tankers from accessing the Indian Ocean via the Red Sea. The giant of the Arabian Peninsula now risks losing all maritime access, as Iran has blocked the Strait of Hormuz on its eastern coast for the past six months. After seizing the port of Mokha on Thursday, the Tehran-allied rebels bombed the pipeline that carries Saudi oil from its eastern refineries to the Red Sea on Friday, forcing its closure. They also established a foothold on the small island of Mayun, from where they could see the African coast stretching just 20 kilometers away. In front of a camera on Friday, a Houthi non-commissioned officer explained the significance of the achievement to his men better than any geopolitical analyst could: They no longer needed missiles or drones to block this maritime route, through which 12% of global trade passes. Simple artillery positions "here and there" along the coast, he indicated, would allow them to strike tankers from several directions at once. You have 85.77% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.