Tensions across the Middle East are rising as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels expand their control over strategic territory in the Red Sea. The group has seized the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands, strengthening its position near one of the world’s most important shipping routes. At the same time, damage to a major Saudi oil pipeline, disputes over the Strait of Hormuz, nuclear tensions involving Iran, and renewed violence in Gaza and the West Bank are adding new pressure across the region.
Houthis Tighten Their Grip on the Red Sea
Houthi officials said Monday that the rebels had taken control of Greater and Lesser Hanish, two strategically located islands in the southern Red Sea. The takeover came as Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces attempted to push back against recent Houthi advances around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The strait connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean, making it a critical route for international shipping. Its importance has grown because the Strait of Hormuz, another major route for global energy supplies, has been largely closed by Iran during the ongoing war.
The Houthi capture of the islands follows other major gains. The rebels recently seized the Red Sea port of Mokha and the island of Mayun, which sits inside the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
These advances give the Houthis a stronger position along shipping routes that Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on to export oil. They could also give Iran additional leverage in its conflict with the United States.
Saudi Oil Exports Face Another Major Obstacle
Saudi Arabia is also dealing with serious damage to its East-West Pipeline, a critical piece of infrastructure used to transport crude oil from the Persian Gulf side of the country to ports along the Red Sea.
The pipeline was damaged in an attack last Thursday. Two regional officials briefed on the situation told The Associated Press that repairs could take three to five weeks, including work at a major pumping facility.
One official said the pipeline may be able to operate partially while repairs continue, but it remains unclear how much oil could move through it.
The disruption comes at a particularly difficult time for Saudi Arabia. With shipping through the Strait of Hormuz heavily restricted, the kingdom has relied more on the pipeline and Red Sea ports to move crude oil to international markets.
The combination of pipeline damage and Houthi advances near Red Sea shipping routes is creating new concerns about global oil supplies and prices.
China Condemns Attacks on Saudi Infrastructure
China, one of the world’s largest importers of Middle Eastern oil, expressed concern over the Houthi attacks and called for restraint.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun described attacks against Saudi energy infrastructure as “unacceptable” and said Beijing was “deeply concerned” about further escalation.
Guo also said that “attacks on civilian infrastructure that is important to people’s livelihoods are unacceptable.”
China called on the different sides involved in the conflict to exercise restraint and seek solutions through dialogue. The response highlights the international concern surrounding threats to energy infrastructure and shipping routes that serve markets far beyond the Middle East.
Iran and Saudi Arabia Clash Over Hormuz Talks
Diplomatic tensions are also growing over the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Saudi Arabia had “demanded” that a planned regional meeting about the strait be cancelled “for the time being.”
The meeting was expected to bring Iran together with other regional countries in Oman to discuss security and shipping through the strategically important waterway.
Baghaei described the planned talks as a “proper opportunity” to restore regional security. He also said Iran and Oman had finalized an agreement concerning the Strait of Hormuz and that details would be announced later.
A Gulf official familiar with the matter said Saudi Arabia had proposed amendments because of concerns that an Iran-Oman agreement could have long-term consequences for other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Austria Visa Dispute Adds to Iran Nuclear Tensions
Iran is also involved in a new diplomatic dispute with Austria after Austrian authorities refused to issue visas to Iran’s nuclear chief and other members of its delegation for the International Atomic Energy Agency’s general conference in Vienna.
Baghaei called Austria’s decision “completely unjustified.”
Iran summoned Austria’s chargé d’affaires and argued that Austria, as the host country, had an obligation to issue the visas. Tehran also accused the United States of pressuring Austria.
The refusal comes as international pressure over Iran’s nuclear program continues. U.N. sanctions reinstated last year include travel restrictions on Iranian officials.
US Says Iran Has Run Out of Time on Nuclear Obligations
At the IAEA conference in Vienna, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright criticized Iran for failing to cooperate fully with the United Nations nuclear watchdog.
Wright specifically pointed to Iran’s refusal to provide inspectors with access to nuclear facilities affected by the war.
He said Iran had “ample time to address its egregious negligence” toward its international obligations, adding that “that time is up.”
Wright argued that allowing additional delays “only delays overdue accountability.”
He also repeated the Trump administration’s position that Iran “must never develop or obtain a nuclear weapon.”
US Defends Nuclear Agreement With Saudi Arabia
Wright also defended a nuclear agreement signed between the United States and Saudi Arabia in July.
The deal could give Saudi Arabia the ability to enrich uranium as part of a civilian nuclear energy program, raising questions about safeguards against nuclear weapons proliferation.
Wright said the agreement includes “absolutely rigorous” non-proliferation terms and emphasized that the IAEA “was part of it all along.”
His comments came in response to questions about differences between nuclear requirements being discussed for Iran and those applying to Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Strikes Continue Despite Gaza Ceasefire
Violence also continued in Gaza, where the territory’s Health Ministry said Israeli strikes hit Gaza City, Zawaida in central Gaza and Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
One person was killed and several others were wounded.
The Israeli military confirmed carrying out four strikes and said they targeted militants. It said additional information would be released later.
Although the heaviest fighting between Israel and Hamas has decreased since a ceasefire took effect in October, deadly incidents have continued. Gaza health officials say Israeli fire has killed more than 1,360 Palestinians since the ceasefire began.
Rights Group Raises Alarm Over the West Bank
Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem released a report accusing Israel of accelerating efforts to undermine Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank.
The organization said Israel is pursuing a project aimed at “dismantling the foundations of Palestinian existence.”
It also alleged that actions by Israeli settlers and the military are weakening Palestinian collective life while establishing what it described as “a permanent system of Jewish supremacy” across the territory.
The report argues that armed settlers and Israeli state authorities increasingly cooperate in actions against Palestinian communities. Rights groups have also accused the Israeli military of failing to stop settler violence in many cases.
Settler violence has increased under the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding another source of instability to an already tense regional situation.
Saudi Crown Prince Meets Top US Commander
As pressure grows on Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Adm. Brad Cooper, the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East.
The meeting took place Monday in Jeddah, according to the Saudi state-run news agency.
The two discussed “bilateral relations and the latest regional developments,” although Saudi officials did not provide further details.
The talks came as Saudi Arabia faces attacks from Iran-backed groups in Yemen and Iraq, including strikes against energy infrastructure that have increased concerns about the security of the kingdom’s oil industry.
Red Sea Advances Add to a Wider Regional Crisis
The Houthi seizure of Greater and Lesser Hanish represents more than another territorial gain in Yemen’s long conflict. Control over strategic Red Sea territory gives the rebels greater influence near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at a time when the Strait of Hormuz is already heavily disrupted.
Saudi Arabia now faces pressure on two fronts: damage to the infrastructure it needs to move oil westward and growing Houthi influence around the waterways used to export that oil. At the same time, disputes involving Iran’s nuclear program, regional diplomacy, Gaza and the West Bank are keeping tensions high across the Middle East.
With several major shipping routes, energy facilities and regional conflicts now connected to the broader confrontation, developments around Yemen and the Red Sea could have consequences well beyond the region, particularly for international shipping and global oil supplies.
