The Houthis have seized a strategic Red Sea island, two Yemeni government officials said on Friday, giving the Iran-backed militia a foothold in a crucial choke point for global trade. The capture of Perim Island — locally known as Mayyun — allows the Houthis to exert greater control over energy shipments through the Red Sea, which could further strain the price of oil and gas. The Red Sea has become increasingly important to energy markets since the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February. Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, typically ships its oil through the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the world’s oceans, but Iran has effectively closed it since the early days of the war with the United States.

Full report : Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis seize an island in a key strait, opening a new front in the Iran war.