The Secret Houthi-U.S. Deal That Could Push Saudi Arabia Back to Beijing

Sources cited by OilPrice.com say Iran and its Houthi allies have escalated maritime pressure on global energy routes, threatening both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb. The report says U.S. officials held direct talks with Houthi leaders in Muscat while Washington declined a Saudi request on 10 September to approve air strikes to stop Houthi advances along the Red Sea coast.

By AI Newsroom· Reviewed by Pranav, Founder & Editor-in-ChiefPublished about 1 hour agoUpdated about 1 hour ago0 views

Why It Matters

If the Bab el-Mandeb is formally blocked as described, it would significantly disrupt crude, LNG and refined product flows from the Middle East and increase pressure on global energy markets; the reported U.S.–Houthi contacts and U.S. refusal of Saudi strike requests also alter regional security dynamics cited in the piece.

Key Facts

Strait of Hormuz share of global crude flows (historical): ~30%
Bab el-Mandeb share of global crude flows (historical): ~12%
Combined potential hostage of world crude flows (reported): up to 42%
Strait of Hormuz share of global LNG flows (rough): ~20%
Bab el-Mandeb share of global LNG flows (rough): ~10%

OilPrice.com reports that Iranian strategy in the recent escalation has three phases: closing the Strait of Hormuz, using Tehran-backed Houthi forces to strike Saudi energy infrastructure, and ultimately threatening the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The outlet says the first two steps have already occurred and that an official Houthi blockade of Bab el-Mandeb could follow imminently, which would extend Tehran’s leverage over key maritime transit routes.

A senior energy source cited by OilPrice.com estimated that together the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb historically account for roughly 42% of global crude flows, with the Hormuz around 30% and Bab el-Mandeb about 12%. The source also noted comparable shares for LNG and raised particular concern about refined products: before the disruptions, up to 5.5 million barrels per day (bpd) of fully refined petroleum products transited via the Strait of Hormuz and about 2.6 million bpd through Bab el-Mandeb. The report highlights that Europe’s reliance on imported finished diesel and jet fuel from the Middle East amplifies the potential impact of Red Sea disruptions.

OilPrice.com chronicles recent Houthi gains in the Red Sea, including seizures of islands such as Perim, and notes International Monetary Fund PortWatch data showing overall shipping through Bab el-Mandeb is nearly 90% below normal averages even before any general Houthi blockade. The piece argues that using the Houthis to contest the Red Sea stretches U.S. forces and undermines Washington’s prior security assurances to regional partners.

The report also says the United States declined a Saudi request to authorize air strikes against Houthi advances on 10 September, the day the Houthis completed capture of the port city of Mokha, and instead dispatched CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper to Riyadh for intelligence coordination. Separately, OilPrice.com states that U.S. and Houthi representatives met at the U.S. Embassy in Muscat on 12–13 September, with a face-to-face session on 13 September mediated by Oman. Finally, the story notes Saudi discussions to form a 14-country Multinational Maritime Defense Coalition comprised of several regional partners, including members of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement framework.