Houthis’ Entry Into Iran War Poses New Threat to Global Energy Supply

The late entry of the Yemen-based Houthis into the Iran war presents a new threat to Middle East oil shipments and provides Tehran with a potentially useful ally, even as Europe’s major powers insist they will stay on the sidelines until the fighting ends.On the other side of the ledger, Ukraine is boosting its support for American allies in the region, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Abu Dhabi and Doha on Saturday, pledging to do more to help those nations fend off Iranian drone attacks.The Houthis, an Iranian proxy that has controlled much of northwest Yemen since 2014, had remained mysteriously quiet through the first four weeks of the war, even as Hezbollah and Iranian-allied militias in Iraq have staged hundreds of missile and drone strikes on targets in Israel and the region.That changed early Saturday when Israeli military officials confirmed they had shot down a Houthi-launched missile that had triggered sirens in the southern city of Beersheba.A military spokesperson for the Houthis, Brigadier-General Yahya Saree, announced the attack on the rebels’ Al Masirah satellite television, al Jazeera reported. Strikes “will continue until the declared objectives are achieved … and until the aggression against all fronts of the resistance ceases,”he was quoted as saying.Previous Houthi attacks on Israel during that nation’s military operation in Gaza caused limited damage, killing one person and injuring several dozen. But the Houthis’ sustained attacks on Red Sea shipping were much more effective, forcing hundreds of ships to avoid the Suez Canal and take a much longer route around the Cape of Good Hope.With world oil prices already elevated by Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a renewed Houthi campaign in the Red Sea could cut off an alternative route for Saudi oil to reach markets in Asia and elsewhere, exacerbating the energy crisis. Brent crude futures were already selling at $112.57 a barrel at Friday’s close, the highest close since July 2022, Reuters reported.Saudi Arabia is now diverting an estimated 4 million barrels a day of oil to its Red Sea port of Yanbu to avoid the Iranian blockade in the Gulf. Much of that is then shipped south through the narrow Bab el-Mandeb strait, where it would be highly vulnerable to Houthi attacks.Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, had little success during a visit on Friday to Cernay-la-Ville, France, where he renewed American appeals for the country’s G7 allies to become more involved in efforts to clear the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.While offering verbal support for American war aims, the allies — who noted they had not been consulted before the United States and Israel initiated the war — reiterated their position that they will not send military vessels into the Gulf until there is an end to hostilities.The German foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, told reporters after Friday’s session that he had made “our position clear, namely that there is certainly a readiness on Germany’s part to play a role after the end of hostilities when it comes to ensuring the security of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”Britain’s foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, also expressed a reluctance to get directly involved in the war, saying, “We have taken the approach of supporting defensive action, but also we’ve taken a different approach on the offensive action that has taken place as part of this conflict.”The French foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, noted a greater European readiness to help out once the shooting stops. Once the U.S. military objectives have been achieved, he said, escort missions could “provide the necessary security so that ship traffic can resume as quickly as possible.”Mr. Rubio, for his part, stressed the need for the Western nations to be prepared in the event that Iran follows through with a threat to impose a toll on ship passage through the Strait of Hormuz even after the war is concluded.“Not only is this illegal, it’s unacceptable. It’s dangerous to the world,” Mr. Rubio told reporters after the meetings. “And it’s important that the world have a plan.”While the European powers sit on the sidelines, Mr. Zelenskyy is stepping up his offer to help American allies in the region defend against Iranian drone attacks, presumably anxious to demonstrate his nation’s worthiness of international support in fending off Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Posting on X after a meeting in Abu Dhabi with the UAE president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Mr. Zelensky said the two had agreed to “cooperate in the field of security and defense” against Iranian attacks.“Our cities, unfortunately, have been under daily attack for four years of full-scale war,” he said, pointing out that Ukraine has “developed an appropriate protection system that delivers a significant interception rate against enemy drones and missiles. This systematic approach and integration of experience is exactly what we are offering to our partners.”Arriving later Saturday in Doha, Mr. Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine and Qatar have signed a 10-year defense cooperation agreement that again focuses on defenses against Iranian drone attacks.

Houthis’ Entry Into Iran War Poses New Threat to Global Energy Supply

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