The Iranian-backed Houthi militia seized a strategic Red Sea island, two Yemeni government officials said Friday, giving Iran and its allies sway over two of the main routes for shipping oil out of the Middle East.
The capture of Perim Island follows days of fierce ground skirmishes in Yemen as the Houthis have staged a lightning advance against forces allied with the internationally recognized Yemeni government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia. On Thursday, the Houthis swept into the strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha.
The capture of Perim Island presents a major setback for Saudi Arabia, which now exports most of its oil through the Red Sea and has faced Houthi attacks on its tankers and energy facilities. Saudi officials have tried to avoid a direct war with the Houthis, analysts say.
It also adds a new dimension in the war between the United States and Iran. The Islamic republic has already largely cut off the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, and leveraged that influence to demand concessions from the United States.
Now Iran’s ally, the Houthi militia, has a foothold at the heart of a choke point in the Red Sea, and could further disrupt shipping there.
In July, as tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis escalated, the group declared a blockade on Saudi ships in the Red Sea, straining oil prices.
The widening clashes in the Middle East in recent days have pushed up oil prices, which surged on Thursday above $109 a barrel for Brent crude, the international benchmark. Oil prices eased to around $104 a barrel on Friday, but are still at their highest point since July.
Ahmed Nagi, a senior analyst for Yemen at the International Crisis Group, said that the Houthi takeover of Perim Island was a “game changer,” enabling the group to more easily destabilize Red Sea shipping.
“In the past, they were creating uncertainty,,” he said, but “now they’re controlling everything around Bab al-Mandab, the land and the islands.”
On Friday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry appeared to offer a statement of support for the Houthis.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran reiterates its principled and consistent position on the need to respect Yemen’s independence, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” the ministry said.
Yahya Sarea, a Houthi military spokesman, did not explicitly say whether the Houthis took over Perim Island, but he asserted that the “Saudi enemy” — apparently referring to forces allied with the government — had been expelled from more than 5,000 square kilometers, or roughly 2,000 square miles, of territory.
Mr. Sarea also said that shipping was safe for all companies except Saudi ones.
Saudi Arabia has not commented publicly on the capture of Perim Island.
On Friday, the Houthi-controlled broadcaster Al-Masirah said that Saudi Arabia had launched two rounds of airstrikes on the port of Mokha. The Saudi government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It was unclear exactly when the Houthis reached the island. The Yemeni officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. A spokesman for the Yemeni government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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The Houthis and the Yemeni government have been at war since 2014, when the militia took over Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. Soon after, a Saudi-led military coalition began a bombing campaign to try to restore the government to power, plunging the impoverished nation into a devastating war.
A fragile truce, reached in 2022, has unraveled in recent months. Since fighting escalated sharply in Yemen last week, at least 46,000 people have been displaced, according to the International Organization for Migration, a United Nations body.
Abu Bakr Bashir contributed reporting to this article.
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