Yemen's Next Top Diplomat: Houthis Want to Control a Key Shipping Route

Yemen's next foreign minister, Afrah al-Zouba, warned in Riyadh on 28 July 2026 that the Houthis want to control the Bab al-Mandeb Strait — a narrow sea lane near Yemen. She compared their goal to Iran's hold on the Strait of Hormuz, another narrow shipping route. If both lanes were blocked, access to the Gulf and Red Sea — carrying about 30 percent of world shipping — could be cut off.