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G2 — Adversary's Veto

Saudi Arabia presses for free navigation as the Houthis take ground at Bab el-Mandeb

Riyadh told the United Nations that the Strait of Hormuz must return to its pre-war status without tolls, while Yemen's government lost control of the Red Sea chokepoint.

Assembled by Claude from 10 sources at 10 outlets · Saturday, September 26, 2026, Evening edition, 5:25 PM EDT · no human byline

Disclosure. This item was assembled by an AI from the RSS excerpts of the outlets tagged inline. No human wrote or checked it before publication. Feed selection and categories are editorial choices by Teresa Lo. Nothing here is investment advice.

What happened

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan told the United Nations General Assembly that the Strait of Hormuz must return to its pre-war status without tolls, and said Iran had attacked the kingdom unjustly kurdistan24.net. He called for global cooperation to protect freedom of navigation turkiyetoday.com, naming Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb as two key waterways for global trade and energy supplies bolnews.com. He also affirmed Saudi Arabia's full right to protect its security and sovereignty kurdistan24.net.

Pakistan's prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, used the same platform to call for both straits to remain open, describing them as arteries of the global economy geo.tv.

On the water, the position has moved against the kingdom. Yemen's Saudi-backed government forces lost control of the Bab el-Mandeb waterway, which the Times of India described as a significant setback for Riyadh timesofindia.indiatimes.com. The Houthis have seized Mocha Port in western Yemen and Perim Island in Bab el-Mandeb, in fighting in which 62 Houthi fighters also died chosun.com. Yemen's president has declared a general mobilisation against the group chosun.com, and the government is offering amnesty to Houthi defectors aljazeera.com. Fighting between the two sides has intensified, most recently near the coast of the strait aljazeera.com.

Why it matters to investors

Bab el-Mandeb and Hormuz sit at either end of the Gulf-to-Europe energy and container route, and both are now contested rather than merely risky bolnews.com. Commercial vessels are anchored off Yemen's coast at Bab el-Mandeb rather than transiting it turkiyetoday.com.

The Houthis have told the European Union they will not target European ships in the Red Sea timesnownews.comwionews.com, a selective assurance rather than a reopening. The UN Security Council has condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia wionews.com. Iran denies any link to the Houthi attacks in Yemen and Saudi Arabia timesofindia.indiatimes.com.

What to watch

European Union defence ministers meet on Monday to discuss strengthening Aspides, the naval mission covering the Red Sea, with pressure building to send new ships and personnel to ensure safe passage through Bab el-Mandeb en.ilsole24ore.com. That decision is the clearest near-term signal of whether escorted transits become available again.

The second thing to watch is whether the Houthi assurance to the European Union holds while the group consolidates its hold on Perim Island and Mocha timesnownews.comchosun.com, and whether Riyadh's call for a return to pre-war conditions at Hormuz attracts any support beyond the region kurdistan24.netturkiyetoday.com.

Sources

  1. kurdistan24.net: Saudi FM: Hormuz must return to pre-war status without tolls, Iran attacked us unjustly (2026-09-26)
  2. turkiyetoday.com: Saudi FM urges global cooperation to protect freedom of navigation - Türkiye Today (2026-09-26)
  3. bolnews.com: Saudi FM Faisal-bin-Farhan calls for free navigation in Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb at UNGA (2026-09-26)
  4. geo.tv: 'Arteries of global economy': At UNGA, PM says Hormuz, Bab al-Mandeb must remain open (2026-09-25)
  5. wionews.com: Red Sea crisis: Houthis promise not to target European ships; UNSC condemns Saudi attacks (2026-09-25)
  6. timesnownews.com: Yemen's Houthis Tell EU They Won't Target European Ships in the Red Sea | Times Now (2026-09-25)
  7. aljazeera.com: Yemen's government offers amnesty to Houthi defectors - Al Jazeera (2026-09-26)
  8. en.ilsole24ore.com: The strengthening of Aspides to be discussed by EU defence ministers on Monday (2026-09-26)
  9. timesofindia.indiatimes.com: Iran denies link to Houthi attacks in Yemen & Saudi Arabia; warns US as Trump rejects peace offer (2026-09-26)
  10. chosun.com: Yemeni President Declares General Mobilization Against Houthi Rebels (2026-09-26)