Another Hormuz? What to know about the Houthi threat to the Red Sea

This article was originally published on CFR.org and updated by NBC News. As the United States and Iran remain locked in a struggle for control over the Strait of Hormuz, concerns continue to mount about the security of another regional maritime chokepoint: the Red Sea. Since the start of the Iran war, the Houthis have made a concerted effort to restrict oil and gas flows through the vital Mideast waterway. In September 2026, two months after the group declared a complete naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, which relies on the Red Sea to access global oil markets, the Houthis seized control of Yemen’s strategic port city of Mokha and several islands near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait—expanding their control over Yemen’s Red Sea coastline. Now, the Saudi-backed Yemeni government has launched a major offensive against the Houthis, retaking critical areas around the strait.