Houthis seize Hanish islands, tightening grip on Red Sea oil route

Houthi rebels seized the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands in the southern Red Sea. The move sharpens pressure on Saudi oil shipments and adds fresh volatility to global energy markets.

In Short

• Control of the islands boosts leverage over Bab el-Mandeb shipping lanes
• China called attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure unacceptable and urged restraint
• Iran blamed Saudi pressure for postponing Oman's Strait of Hormuz meeting

Yemen's Houthi rebels have seized the strategic islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish in the southern Red Sea, strengthening their ability to influence a key maritime shipping route and adding pressure on Saudi oil exports and global energy markets.

The developments came as Iran said Saudi Arabia was behind Oman's decision to postpone a regional meeting on the Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran also condemned Austria's refusal to issue visas to its nuclear chief. Elsewhere, an Israeli rights group accused the Israeli government of trying to end Palestinian existence in the West Bank, and Iraq reported two deaths and more than 100 injuries after an ammonia gas leak at a fertiliser plant in Basra province.

Houthi officials said on Monday they had taken over the two islands as Saudi-backed government forces tried to regain territory from the rebels' recent advances around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz in the opening days of the war. The waterway normally carries a fifth of the world's traded oil and gas in peacetime, and Saudi Arabia has since used the Bab el-Mandeb Strait for crude oil exports.

The latest Houthi gains, following the seizure of the Red Sea port of Mokha and a strategic island last week, put more pressure on Saudi shipments and, in turn, on global oil supplies and prices. The move could also give Iran additional leverage in its war with the United States.

China, a major importer of Middle East oil, said on Monday it was "deeply concerned" about further Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and called such strikes on Saudi energy infrastructure "unacceptable". Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said, "attacks on civilian infrastructure that is important to people's livelihoods are unacceptable." He urged all sides to show restraint and resolve disputes through dialogue.

On the diplomatic front, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Saudi Arabia had "demanded" that a meeting involving Iran and other regional countries to discuss the Strait of Hormuz be scrapped "for the time being". The meeting was to be hosted by Oman. Baghaei described it as a "proper opportunity" to restore security in the region. He also said an agreement between Iran and Oman on the Strait of Hormuz had been finalised and would be announced later.

According to a Gulf official familiar with the matter, who was not authorised to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, Saudi Arabia submitted amendments to the agreement out of concern that it could have lasting implications for the Strait of Hormuz and negatively affect other Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

Iran also denounced Austria's decision not to issue visas to its nuclear chief and other members of its delegation for the International Atomic Energy Agency's General Conference in Vienna, calling the move "completely unjustified". Baghaei said Tehran had summoned the Austrian charge d'affaires and argued that Austria, as host country, was obliged to issue the visas. He accused Western countries of denying Iran a chance to defend itself and blamed the United States for pressuring Austria to refuse the visas.

The refusal is part of UN sanctions on Iran that were reinstated last year and include a travel ban on Iranian officials. Last week, the UN atomic watchdog's board reported Iran to the UN Security Council for the first time in 20 years, saying it had failed to cooperate in a long-running investigation into uranium traces found by inspectors at undeclared sites.

In Israel and the occupied West Bank, the B'Tselem human rights group said in a new report that Israel was pursuing a systematic and accelerated project aimed at "dismantling the foundations of Palestinian existence" in the territory. The group said Israeli actions by settlers and the military were intended to undermine Palestinian collective life "while entrenching a permanent system of Jewish supremacy" across the West Bank.

B'Tselem said settler violence had risen under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ultranationalist government and alleged that the military often ignored the violence or focused on protecting settlers when it intervened. The report also said Israeli actions relied on open cooperation between state authorities and armed settlers, who attack Palestinian communities using weapons and vehicles supplied by the state, while the military either fails to stop the violence or in some cases takes part in it. It added that, as of July, Israel had taken control of more than 264,402 acres, nearly a fifth of the West Bank, through what it called "armed settler militias". Most of the international community regards settlements as illegal.

In Iraq, the health ministry said an ammonia gas leak at a fertiliser plant in the southern province of Basra killed two people and injured 114 others. Health Ministry spokesman Saif al-Badr said most injuries were minor, though 21 people remained in hospital. Taken together, the developments underscored a day of military, diplomatic and humanitarian strain across the Middle East.

With PTI Inputs

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