Houthis seize Yemen's Mokha port, raising fears for Red Sea route to India and Europe
Yemen's Houthi forces captured the Red Sea port city of Mokha on Thursday, 10 September, after days of fighting, in an advance that brings the Iran-aligned group closer to the Bab el-Mandeb strait, one of the world's most important shipping chokepoints. The takeover was reported by UPI, Euronews and The National, citing Yemeni officials and witnesses.
Mokha, the town that gave its name to Mocha coffee, lies about 75 kilometres north of Bab el-Mandeb, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and, via the Suez Canal, links Asia to Europe. Euronews reported that the Houthis also captured Zuqar Island, with unconfirmed reports of fighters landing on Perim Island by Thursday evening, and that the coastal town of Dhubab is now their central military objective.
What Yemeni officials said
Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen's internationally recognised Presidential Leadership Council, appealed for international support, saying that "the protection of Yemen's coasts and the restoration of state control over its territory, ports and waters is a joint Yemeni, Egyptian, Arab and international interest", Euronews reported.
Major-General Sadeq Duwaid warned that the Houthis were seeking "to establish a presence along the shores of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and transform the area into a situation resembling that of the Strait of Hormuz", according to the same report. More than 500 combatants have been killed since the offensive began last week, Euronews said.
Why it matters for trade
The Houthis control roughly a third of Yemen's territory, including its most densely populated areas, and are part of Iran's network of allied groups. Euronews reported that the group had consulted Tehran over the summer about imposing tolls on passage through the strait. Bab el-Mandeb and Hormuz together account for about a quarter of daily petroleum shipments and nearly a third of global maritime trade.
For India, the Red Sea route is the main corridor for container trade with Europe and for a share of crude and LPG imports. Disruption in 2024 forced ships to divert around the Cape of Good Hope, adding roughly two weeks and higher freight costs to voyages between Indian ports and Europe. WorldCargo News reported that the Mokha seizure has revived concern that attacks on commercial shipping could return.
The advance comes as oil prices have already jumped past $107 a barrel on attacks around Hormuz, with Rigzone reporting that the Houthi push toward Mokha was among the factors unsettling energy markets on Thursday.
What happens next
Yemeni government forces and the Saudi-led coalition are expected to try to hold Dhubab and the approaches to Bab el-Mandeb, and Egypt, which depends on Suez Canal revenue, has been urged to help. Shipping lines and insurers will be watching whether the Houthis move to interfere with vessels transiting the strait. Indian exporters and refiners face the prospect of longer routes and higher freight and insurance costs if the situation deteriorates.