U.S. officials met Houthi representatives in Oman, where the Iran-backed militia pledged not to target American vessels in the strategically critical Red Sea's Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which they recently seized control of.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Borisenko met with Houthi official Mohammed Abdulsalam in Oman to discuss Yemen's military-political situation and Persian Gulf escalation, emphasizing UN-led political resolution amid regional tensions following February's Israel-Iran conflict.
Iran-backed Houthis seized Yemen's key Red Sea port of Mokha and advanced toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, potentially threatening global shipping routes carrying critical oil and commodity supplies worth billions in annual trade.
Iran-aligned Houthis seized Yemen's Mocha port and advanced toward the Red Sea's Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical global shipping chokepoint, threatening Saudi oil exports and prompting Brent crude to surge four percent to one hundred five dollars per barrel.