Iranian media: Houthis take control of Strait of Mandeb after seizing Mayyun Island

Iranian media: Houthis take control of Strait of Mandeb after seizing Mayyun Island Yemen’s Houthis control the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait after seizing Mayyun Island, also known as Perim Island, Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported.

Located at the centre of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, Mayyun Island is a key monitoring point overlooking the vital maritime passage.

Two Yemeni sources also told Reuters that Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces had withdrawn from Perim Island.

The development came after Houthis seized the western coastal city of Mocha, forcing the government forces to retreat toward the south and the city of Dhubab.

Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree was also reported as saying that navigation in the Red Sea was safe except for Saudi ships, suggesting the group now has control over the Strait of Mandeb.

Known as the "Gate of Tears" in Arabic, because of its history of shipwrecks, the strait sits at the southern tip of the Red Sea, connecting it with the Gulf of Aden in the Indian Ocean.

About 100 kilometres long and just 30 kilometres wide at its narrowest point, it separates Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula from Djibouti and Eritrea on the Horn of Africa.

With the Red Sea linking maritime trade between Europe and Asia, the strait is usually one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

Oil tankers and cargo ships use it to reach the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal, shortening journeys between Asia and Europe and North America by thousands of kilometres (miles).

In 2024, as the Houthis attacked Red Sea shipping during the Gaza war, Suez Canal traffic fell sharply and has yet to recover, according to IMF PortWatch data analysed by AFP.

Total transits dropped from 26,895 vessels in 2023, or 73.7 per day, to 14,498 in 2024 and 14,070 in 2025, AFP reported.