Six people died Tuesday when Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched missiles at a vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, Yemeni authorities confirmed. The attack, the first known deadly Houthi strike on shipping off Yemen, killed four crew members and two members of the government-allied National Resistance Forces. Yemen’s Transportation Ministry, representing the internationally recognized government, reported that three ballistic missiles struck the Yemeni commercial vessel.
Yemen Under Siege
The Houthi strikes are part of an ongoing escalation against government forces in Yemen and oil facilities in neighboring Saudi Arabia, which backs the Yemeni government. Dozens of government troops and civilians have been killed in attacks since last week, according to the Yemeni military. Houthis have also targeted the government-held port city of Mokha on the Red Sea and other areas within Yemen, alongside Saudi shipping in the Red Sea.
Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the Houthis’ chief negotiator and spokesperson, accused Saudi Arabia of exploiting a ceasefire to tighten an air and sea blockade. This blockade was imposed 11 years ago, in 2015. Abdul-Salam stated on social media that while the Houthis remain open for negotiations, any settlement must include the lifting of this blockade.
US Economic Warfare
Meanwhile, the United States continues its economic pressure on Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump affirmed Monday that the U.S. Navy’s blockade is preventing Iran from selling its oil on the international market. This action, he noted in an Oval Office exchange, is effectively choking the Iranian economy. “Yeah, they can make trouble,” Trump said, “but they’re broke.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared that the country had “astonished the whole world” in its conflict against the United States and Israel. He asserted that Iran has proven itself “a tough and invincible power.” Iran has consistently refused to concede on its demands for the U.S. to end its blockade of Iranian ports, lift sanctions on the Islamic Republic, and fulfill other conditions before considering the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran effectively closed the strait on Feb. 28, the same year, following an attack on the country by Israel and the U.S.
The Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil supplies passed before the conflict, remains shut down by Iran. This closure has shifted focus to the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb strait, an alternate route for Saudi oil shipments. Uncertainty surrounding the strait’s future has kept energy prices a major focus of U.S. politics ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Regional Instability
Diplomatic efforts are underway to de-escalate tensions between Iran and the U.S. Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi traveled to Tehran on Tuesday for talks aimed at encouraging Iran to resume negotiations. These discussions would fall under an interim peace deal brokered by Pakistan in June, the same year. Two anonymous officials confirmed Naqvi’s sixth trip to Iran as part of Pakistan’s ongoing diplomatic efforts.
In Syria, a court in the capital sentenced former President Bashar Assad and his younger brother, Maher, to death. The Fourth Criminal Court found them guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes during Syria’s 14-year conflict, which has claimed approximately half a million lives. Assad and his brother fled to Russia in December 2024, the second year, after insurgents marched into Damascus.