Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia began diverting millions of barrels of crude – ordinarily flowing through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz – to its Red Sea port of Yanbu. But the entry of Iran-backed Houthi militants into the war threatens to sever even that oil lifeline.

Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Dr Elisabeth Kendall, President of Girton College at the University of Cambridge, says that with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea has become a vital export route and that "if the Houthis choke off the vital exit point of Bab el-Mandeb,

Crude export from the Red Sea port of Yanbu hit a record pace as Saudi Arabia reroutes shipments to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis threaten to intervene in the war

As Iran’s Houthi allies enter the conflict, Iran has threatened to disrupt shipping in the Bab al-Mandab Strait – a strategic waterway linking the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal –

March 27 () - Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Friday they were ready to intervene militarily if other countries joined the United States and Israel in ‌their war against Iran, or if the Red Sea

Rising tensions in West Asia may spread further as Yemen’s Houthis indicate readiness to support Iran, with strategic Red Sea routes emerging as a potential flashpoint.

Iran threatens to seize control of another key strait in Red Sea if Trump launches ground invasion - The Houthi rebels in Yemen have so far not entered the war despite ties to Iran’s Revolutionary Gua

The Western allies trying to negotiate a way to protect the Strait of Hormuz for energy shipping face a stark reality: a similar effort in the Red Sea that started years earlier cost billions of dollars and ultimately failed against Yemen's Houthis.