‘Divine triumph’: Iran celebrates Houthis’ capture of Yemen’s Red Sea coast

Iranian authorities and state-affiliated media celebrated the Houthi capture of large stretches of Yemen's Red Sea coastline this week, a development that effectively places the Bab al-Mandeb strait under Houthi control. The fall of the port city of Mocha was described in Tehran as a major setback for Yemen's Western-backed government, which has lost direct access to the Red Sea.

Senior Iranian figures publicly endorsed the Yemeni group's battlefield gains. An IRGC spokesman posted on X that the advances were a form of 'divine triumph,' while the speaker of Iran's parliament reposted remarks by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei asserting that Houthi resistance would lead to victory. Other officials, including First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref and adviser Mohammad Mokhber, framed the outcome as proof of the effectiveness of regional resistance and criticized dependence on external powers.

Analysts say the Houthi foothold along key islands and coastal positions — including the island of Mayun (Perim) near Yemen's mainland — gives the group closer range to threaten vessels transiting the strait. The Houthis have been attacking ships they say are linked to Israel since 2023, a campaign that prompted US, British and Israeli strikes on Houthi positions. A Houthi commander featured in a video suggested coastal artillery could now serve as a simpler means to menace shipping, while the group's military spokesman declared navigation generally safe except for Saudi vessels.

Tehran has previously used influence over the Strait of Hormuz as leverage in its disputes with the United States, and officials and commentators in Iran have suggested control of Bab al-Mandeb could serve a similar role in broader bargaining. Iranian authorities are due to meet regional Arab representatives on Monday to discuss arrangements for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz; Tehran says it has reached an understanding with Oman, though the US reportedly opposes that agreement. Hardline Iranian voices have also said there will be no talks with Washington under current conditions, citing unmet Iranian demands.

Despite the public celebrations, Iran's foreign ministry has maintained that the Houthis act independently and insisted Tehran would not direct their decisions. State-linked newspapers such as Keyhan and Quds gave prominent coverage to the Houthi advances, depicting them as strategic victories for the axis of resistance, even as Iranian diplomats sought to present the developments as occurring primarily under Houthi initiative.