Mohamed Fahmy: Iran rains terror on Yemen to cut off Saudi oil shipments

Houthi forces patrol the streets of Sanaa on Sept. 12. Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images

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The war in Yemen is no longer simply a domestic conflict. It has become a dangerous proxy war between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces — and another front in Tehran’s decades-long effort to project its Islamic revolutionary ideology and expand its regional reach, at a devastating human cost.

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During the months I spent covering the Iran war from Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, one question kept coming up in my interviews and conversations with people on the street: is the Gulf’s golden age beginning to slip away as escalating wars increasingly intrude on everyday life?

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And another question loomed: what happens if Iran fully mobilizes its Houthi allies in Yemen? If Tehran can disrupt traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — which carried roughly 20 per cent of the world’s oil before the war — could the Houthis also threaten the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital artery for about 12 per cent of global maritime trade?

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The Iran-backed Houthis have waged an insurgency against Yemen’s internationally recognized government since the early 2000s. The conflict escalated dramatically in 2014 after the Houthis seized Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015.

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The Houthis are part of an Iran-led military and ideological network often described as the “Axis of Resistance,” which includes Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and militias in Iraq. Canada designated Ansarallah, the Houthi movement, as a terrorist entity in 2024. The United Nations maintains a sanctions regime targeting Houthi leaders and activities.

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The latest escalation, which began in July, shattered the period of relative calm that followed the UN-brokered truce of 2022. The immediate trigger came on July 13, when a U.S.-sanctioned Mahan Air flight reportedly carried Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) personnel and military equipment to Yemen.

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While the flight was originally bound for Sanaa, its airport was attacked by government forces, forcing the plane to divert to Hodeidah International Airport in western Yemen. The Houthis regarded the airport strike as an act of war and retaliated with strikes on major Saudi targets, reigniting the conflict.

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From there, the cycle of violence intensified, with the Houthis launching missiles and drones toward Saudi Arabia and targeting energy infrastructure and military sites. The most serious escalation came on Sept. 8, when Houthi attacks injured at least 73 people, according to Saudi authorities.

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The battle for the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and links Asia, the Middle East and Europe via the Suez Canal — was among the war’s most dramatic episodes. An eyewitness I spoke with remotely described it as almost “apocalyptic.”

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In early September, Houthi fighters launched a week-long offensive, seizing the port city of Mokha and advancing along the coast. They captured strategic positions including Perim Island, at the entrance to the strait, forcing Saudi-backed government forces to withdraw from parts of the coast.