Houthis seize Perim Island, tightening control of the Bab el‑Mandeb chokepoint

On 11 September 2026 Iran-aligned Houthi forces captured Perim Island at the southern entrance to the Bab el‑Mandeb Strait, giving the group a strategic foothold to threaten shipping through the Red Sea and raising risks to oil transit and freight routes that link Asia and Europe.

Control of Perim raises the risk premium on Red Sea transits and could increase freight and insurance costs for vessels using Bab el‑Mandeb. That in turn can raise costs for fuel-importing African economies and lengthen logistics chains; sustained disruption would amplify pressure on global oil supply routes and push shippers to reroute via longer, costlier passages.

Track UN/coalition naval deployments, shipping-transit counts through Bab el‑Mandeb, and insurers' war‑risk premiums over the next two weeks.