Red Sea Gateway Blocked... 'Double Blockade' of Oil Routes Becomes Reality

[Anchor]

Following the clashes between the United States and Iran, nearly 100 vessels have been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz since March. Amid this situation, the pro-Iranian Houthi movement has begun taking control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the gateway to the Red Sea. With both of the Middle East's key oil shipping lanes blocked simultaneously, international crude oil prices surged by more than 6%. Both Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) surpassed the 100-dollar mark for the first time since May.

Reporter Gwak Sang-eun has the details.

[Reporter]

Yemen's pro-Iranian Houthi rebels seized control yesterday (the 10th) of Mocha, a strategic port city located about 75 kilometers away from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance of the Red Sea.

[Houthi Rebel: This is the port of Mocha. By the grace of God.]

Al Jazeera reported that following an additional 18-hour offensive, the Houthis captured Mocha, followed in succession by Dubab and Murad along Yemen's Red Sea coast.

AFP reported that the Houthis advanced to the sea, capturing the Hanish Islands a day prior and then Mayun Island at the strait's entrance today, thereby fully securing control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

This means the pro-Iranian Houthi rebels have secured footholds off the Yemeni coast and in the middle of the Red Sea, enabling them to visually monitor and strike ships passing through the strait.

Reuters reported that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps directly commanded this operation.

[Tariq Saleh / Yemeni Government Military Official (English Voiceover): We told the world that this was Iran's plan, but no one listened to the Yemenites.]

In response to the Houthi offensive, Saudi Arabia launched counterattacks, including bombing Mocha Airport, but Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's request for direct U.S. military strikes against the Houthis was reportedly rejected by Trump.

Meanwhile, offensives continue in the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran claiming additional strikes on U.S. military drones and vessels.

Amid reports that multiple U.S. fighter jets, including F-15s at Jordan's air base, were damaged in previous missile attacks, the acting U.S. Secretary of the Navy stated that the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet base in Bahrain was shattered by Iranian attacks.

Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb.

With the unprecedented crisis of both key oil shipping routes being blocked simultaneously, the situation in the Middle East and the global energy supply chain are plunging into deeper chaos.

(Video Editing: Lee Seung-yeol, Design: JUNHO and SOOIN, Video Source: X @Osint613)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.