Houthis seize Red Sea coast as Saudi pipeline shutdown deepens oil risks

Houthi forces aligned with Iran have seized control of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline, tightening risks for global oil and shipping routes as Saudi Arabia keeps an East-West oil pipeline shut after a drone attack. The Houthis consolidated positions near the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a major passage linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. Saudi suspended the pipeline that moves crude from eastern fields to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, a route meant to avoid the Strait of Hormuz. Traffic through Hormuz remains constrained, and the U.S. reportedly reduced military-protected sailing windows for tankers to two daily slots. Diplomacy is also uncertain as Iran signals talks with Washington would require Tehran’s conditions. The UN says about 46,000 people have been displaced since clashes escalated.