Houthis Seize Mokha and Mayun, Raising Bab el-Mandeb Shipping Risks

Key Facts

Iran-aligned Houthi forces seized the city and port of Mokha on September 10, then captured Mayun, also known as Perim, at the southern entrance to the Red Sea on September 11. The advance increases risks to shipping near Bab el-Mandeb, but the available credible reporting does not establish full Houthi control of the strait itself.

A senior military official with Yemen’s internationally recognized government and a Houthi official confirmed the capture of Mayun to the Associated Press. Separately, government sources cited in Reuters reporting carried by Australia’s ABC said control of the island and the facing town of Dhubab was key to gaining hold of the strait, showing that control of the waterway was not settled at the time of reporting.

In oil markets, November Brent settled at $107.63 per barrel on September 10, up 6.3%, after reaching $108.42 during the session. In early trading on September 11, it fell to $105.62, down 1.9%, underscoring sharp volatility rather than a one-way surge.

Bab el-Mandeb matters because of the volume of energy moving through it. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimated that oil and petroleum-liquids flows through the strait averaged 8.1 million barrels per day in the second quarter of 2026, up from 5.4 million barrels per day in the fourth quarter of 2025, as more cargoes shifted to the Red Sea route because of constraints at the Strait of Hormuz.

In its September 9 outlook, the Energy Information Administration said attacks on Saudi oil exports through Bab el-Mandeb reduced shipments from Yanbu in August by about half from July. Saudi Arabia also increased shipments through the Suez Canal, a longer and more expensive route for Asian customers, and the agency expects shipping constraints to limit Saudi supply in the near term until flows adjust.

The Houthi advance was not the only force moving oil prices; markets also reacted to restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz, tanker attacks and reports of diplomatic efforts. The next price impact will depend on whether the territorial gains become a physical disruption to navigation, while the Energy Information Administration expects volatility to persist as shippers use pipelines, overland routes and ship-to-ship transfers as alternatives.