Houthis seize Red Sea islands near Bab al-Mandab Strait, deepening oil crunch as Brent holds above $107

Yemen's Houthi militants seized the strategic islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish in the Red Sea on or around 15 September 2026, reinforcing the Iran-backed group's control over the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the narrow waterway that links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and forms a critical chokepoint on shipping routes between Asia and Europe. The seizure follows a rapid Houthi advance in southwest Yemen over the preceding week, which included the capture of the port city of Mokha. Witnesses reported that Houthi forces had, earlier in the same period, also reached Perim Island (also known as Mayyun) at the narrowest point of the strait. The Houthis have reiterated threats to target Saudi vessels and oil facilities, while Saudi Arabia has conducted retaliatory air strikes on Houthi-controlled areas. The escalation adds to an already severe energy shock: Brent crude, the international benchmark oil price, was holding above $107 per barrel on 15 September, having broken $100 earlier in the conflict. The Bab al-Mandab Strait is particularly critical for Saudi Arabia, which relies on the route to ship oil to customers in Asia. The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, another key waterway, in the broader US-Iran conflict has made control of the Bab al-Mandab even more commercially sensitive. Grocery price inflation has ticked up, with analysts warning that rising energy costs and poor harvests will add further pressure to the UK cost of living this winter.