Iran-Backed Houthis Reportedly Seize Mayun Island Near Bab el-Mandeb
Reports on September 12, 2026 said Iran-backed Houthi forces had seized Mayun (Perim) Island at the southern entrance to the Red Sea near the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint. The reported seizure could give the Houthis greater ability to threaten the alternative Red Sea shipping corridor used by Saudi oil exporters and other cargoes when Strait of Hormuz access is disrupted. No complete shipping shutdown is confirmed in the supplied material.
The concrete, forward-looking development is the reported seizure of Mayun (Perim) Island by Iran-backed Houthi forces near the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint, rather than the accompanying commentary about oil prices or inflation. Multiple supplied reports identify the seizure and describe its potential to increase Houthi control over the alternative Red Sea corridor used by Saudi oil exporters and other cargoes when Strait of Hormuz access is disrupted. The event is material for maritime security, shipping routes, insurance costs and Middle East energy logistics, although no complete shipping shutdown or confirmed attack on commercial traffic is established in the supplied material. The occurrence date is supported, but the actual time of the seizure is not stated, so the timestamp is normalized to the start of September 12 UTC with low time precision. Approved stakeholders are limited to companies with direct or clearly supported exposure to Saudi/Red Sea cargo flows, rerouting, tanker utilization, maritime insurance or energy-cargo logistics; more indirect beneficiaries and speculative defense, airline and refining effects are excluded.
The straight of Hormuz is still being choked off by Iran. We see traffic dwindling further in recent weeks on a key supply route for crude oil and fuel.
So to bypass the Gulf, shipping traffic was diverted on this alternative route in the Red Sea. Here through the Babal Mandeb straight, but now Iran Houthi rebels are targeting this new front after capturing Mayan Island.
But now, Iranbacked Houthi fighters in Yemen have seized control of the entire Red Sea coast. They've also taken Bimin Island, sometimes called Mun, which sits in the middle of the straight.
The Houthis say they have not closed the water