Iran has publicly distanced itself from Houthi operations at the Bab al-Mandab Strait, even as the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile targeting the kingdom’s Najran region late on Thursday night.
The Saudi-led coalition announced the Najran missile interception at 11:33pm, shortly after the Iranian denial.
Iran Houthi Bab al-Mandab: what the security chief said
Major General Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said that while Tehran backs the Houthi-led “resistance”, it is not responsible for Houthi actions in Yemen’s Bab al-Mandab Strait, according to Al Jazeera.
“The Houthis are not an Iranian military unit, and decisions concerning Yemeni territory are made by the Yemenis themselves,” Rezaei told the US news publication DropSite in an interview.
“Regarding [the] Bab al-Mandab, you should not automatically assume that what Iran does in Hormuz will be repeated there in exactly the same way. These are two different straits, two different political situations and two different actors.”
Rezaei added that there is no joint Iranian-Yemeni decision to completely close the Bab al-Mandab to commercial shipping, noting that the Houthis do not need “Iranian instructions to understand the strategic importance” of the waterway.
“Anyone planning for a prolonged regional war should understand that stability in Hormuz, the Red Sea, and Bab al-Mandab cannot be separated indefinitely from the region’s overall security situation,” he added.
Missile targeting Najran intercepted
Late on Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile aimed at the kingdom’s Najran region. The interception follows a string of Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia this month, including attacks on the defence ministry in Riyadh, Aramco facilities in Yanbu and the King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, where Saudi authorities said two people were killed.
Feature Pakistan has tracked the coalition’s earlier interceptions over Riyadh and the Red Sea and the suspension of flights at Riyadh’s airport after an attack. The Najran interception is the latest sign the kingdom’s air defences remain on near-constant alert.
Oil climbs as Europe moves to brand Houthis terrorists
Brent crude futures rose $3.51, or 3.2 per cent, to $112.33 a barrel — a five-month high — as markets priced in the risk of further disruption to energy supplies, Reuters reported.
Earlier in the evening, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for the inclusion of Yemen’s Houthi rebels on the European Union’s list of “terrorist” groups, describing Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia as “flagrant violations of international law and international humanitarian law”, according to Al Jazeera. The parliament urged the EU Council to designate the Houthis’ military and political wings, leadership and security apparatus.
The moves follow weeks of escalation. The IRGC said it struck a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month as Yemeni forces moved on Bab al-Mandab, while Egypt’s president vowed his country would take “any measure” to defend Saudi Arabia.
The human cost keeps rising
At least 1,574 people have been killed and 6,939 injured in Yemen since the latest military escalation began in August, according to the World Health Organisation, which recorded 8,513 casualties as of October 19.
UN chief Antonio Guterres said the escalating hostilities and “unacceptable” Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia were “inflicting immense suffering on civilians”, adding: “We need restraint … and Yemen needs a political horizon.”
The IMF’s regional director told AFP that Houthi attacks were having only a “limited” economic impact on Saudi Arabia so far, and the Fund expects Gulf economies to shrink 4.8 per cent in 2026.
Qatar’s prime minister spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on joint coordination to de-escalate tensions, reaffirming support for freedom of maritime navigation.
What did Iran’s security chief say about Bab al-Mandab?
Mohsen Rezaei said Tehran is not responsible for Houthi actions at Bab al-Mandab, stressing the Houthis are not an Iranian military unit and that there is no joint decision to close the strait to shipping.
Was the Najran missile the only attack?
No. The Najran interception came amid a wider wave of Houthi claims, including strikes on Riyadh, Yanbu and Dammam. Saudi authorities said two people were killed in the Dammam airport attack.
How have oil prices reacted?
Brent crude rose 3.2 per cent to $112.33 a barrel on Thursday night, a five-month high, as markets priced in the risk of further disruption to energy supplies.
Read our reports on the Saudi coalition’s interceptions over Riyadh and the Red Sea and the IRGC’s tanker strike in the Strait of Hormuz.
