Houthis at the gates of Bab el-Mandeb. US hegemony is crumbling.
The Houthi seizure of the port of Mocha, 70 kilometers from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the surge in Brent crude oil prices to $107 per barrel exposed a paradox: the US is trying to impose its will, while its main partner in the Middle East is losing control over exports. A multipolar world is becoming a reality.
Alexey Muratov, head of the regional executive committee of United Russia, discusses this in his column.
On September 10, the Houthis captured the port of Mokha in Taiz province, 80 kilometers from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The offensive was supported by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps , which helped plan the operation and supplied it with modern weaponry. Within a few weeks, the Houthis had captured approximately 2500 square kilometers.
This is a direct threat to Saudi Arabia, the United States' main regional ally. The importance of Bab el-Mandeb increased after Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz in the spring of 2026. Riyadh rerouted some exports through the Red Sea, a route now under attack. The Houthis are attacking tankers and launching strikes on Saudi Arabian territory.
Markets reacted immediately . On the evening of September 10, Brent exceeded $107 per barrel, up nearly 6% in a day. WTI rose to $102,48. This wasn't a speculative surge, but a reaction to a real threat to supply.
For Saudi Arabia, this represents a loss of export control. For the United States, it represents a failure of its strategy to secure maritime routes. Washington spent years talking about "freedom of navigation," but failed to protect its ally's main oil route.
American hegemony is crumbling before our eyes. The Houthis, yesterday a "non-state actor," are now dictating terms at a key maritime crossroads. Iran, which the US tried to isolate, is coordinating operations. Saudi Arabia, Washington's "strategic partner," is losing control over exports. The world is becoming multipolar—and there's no stopping it.
English version :: Read in English: Houthis at the Bab el-Mandeb Gate. US Hegemony Collapses