Red Sea

July 27, 2026 | Bridget Toomey, Behnam Ben Taleblu

The Middle East Moves Toward a Multifront Maritime War

Yemen’s Houthis have brought the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait into the conflict between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran — blocking millions more barrels of oil from easily...

July 22, 2026 | Bridget Toomey |

Houthis announce blockade of Saudi Arabia, ships reroute to avoid Bab al Mandeb Strait

The Houthis announced a complete maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia on July 20. In response, a growing number of vessels are rerouting to avoid the Bab al Mandeb Strait, the southern...

July 22, 2026 | Bridget Toomey |

Why the Houthis Declared a Blockade on Saudi Arabia

The Yemeni militant group is poised to disrupt another key chokepoint in the global energy supply.

July 21, 2026 | Ahmad Sharawi |

Jordan Should Stop Hedging and Stand Firm Against Iran

Iranian attacks on neighboring countries, relaunched after the collapse of the Memorandum of Understanding between Tehran and Washington, have now claimed the lives of two U.S. troops in Jordan and possibly...

July 17, 2026 | Bridget Toomey |

Iran reportedly tells Houthis to close Bab al Mandeb Strait if US strikes power grid

Three sources told Reuters on July 16 that Iran has instructed Yemen’s Houthis to close the Red Sea to shipping if the US attacks Iran’s power network, which President Donald Trump threatened to...

July 15, 2026 | Bridget Toomey, Edmund Fitton-Brown

Riyadh Strikes Houthi-Controlled Airport To Block Flight From Iran

The Houthis and Saudi Arabia broke a four-year truce after Iran and its Yemeni proxy attempted to establish a direct flight path between Tehran and the Houthi-controlled capital of Sanaa. The flight openly...

July 14, 2026 | Bridget Toomey |

Saudi Arabia and Houthis trade attacks over restarting direct flights between Yemen and Iran

Saudi Arabia struck Sanaa International Airport in the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital on July 13 to stop the landing of a plane carrying the Houthi delegation to slain Iranian Supreme Leader...

July 9, 2026 | Bridget Toomey |

How the Houthis Could Put the World in Double Dire Straits

The terror group could use the lessons it learned from the Iran war to endanger the global community.

July 7, 2026 | Edmund Fitton-Brown, Bridget Toomey

Sanaa-Tehran Direct Air Route Would Aid Iranian Efforts To Arm Houthis in Yemen

Despite an air blockade imposed by Saudi Arabia, a delegation of Iranian-backed Houthis from Yemen arrived in Tehran on July 3 — marking the first time in roughly a decade that a commercial...

June 22, 2026 | Mariam Wahba |

Sudan Turns Away From Iranian Weapons in Hopes of Courting Washington

Sudan’s civil war, now in its fourth year, has become one of Africa’s first drone wars. Yet the drones dominating this battlefield are overwhelmingly foreign. From approximately 3,000 miles away,...

June 19, 2026 | Janatan Sayeh |

Khamenei warily accepts US deal as Tehran eyes rebuilding Hezbollah

On June 18, the Islamic Republic’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father, issued a statement on the recent memorandum of understanding between Washington...

June 18, 2026 | Bridget Toomey |

Pirate attacks on ships in the Gulf of Aden are on the rise

The Gulf of Aden and other waters around the Horn of Africa are seeing an increase in maritime attacks. Since late April, Somali pirates have been attacking and seizing vessels at a rate not...

June 17, 2026 | Mark Dubowitz, Miad Maleki

Iran deal tosses a tremendous cash lifeline to terrorist regime

The Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran hands the terrorist regime the one victory it could never have achieved on the battlefield. Financial reprieve. What is so disconcerting...

June 17, 2026 | Janatan Sayeh |

Gifting Iran Early Concessions Surrenders Washington’s Upper Hand

The U.S. has reportedly granted Iran sanction waivers for selling oil, with one Iranian supertanker transporting crude oil having already crossed the U.S. naval blockade. This development came one day...

June 17, 2026 | Mark Dubowitz |

Why Squander The Greatest Leverage Ever Built Against Iran?

Is the Trump administration about to surrender a significant portion of its leverage before the hardest phase of negotiations begin?

June 15, 2026 | Ahmad Sharawi, Sinan Ciddi

Turkey’s Hejaz Railway Revival Is a Bid To Undermine Israel’s Regional Role

 A railway originally built by the Ottoman Empire to project power across the Arab world is receiving a second lease on life as Turkey launches its latest bid to become the Middle East’s logistics...

June 9, 2026 | Bridget Toomey |

Houthis attack Israel and announce ban on Israeli vessels in the Red Sea

On June 8, Yemen’s Houthis fired missiles at central Israel as the Jewish state and Iran exchanged fire for the first time since the April 7 ceasefire between the US, Israel, and...

June 5, 2026 | Bridget Toomey |

Houthis emphasize solidarity and coordination with Iran-led Axis of Resistance

In recent speeches, Abdulmalik al Houthi, the leader of the eponymous Yemeni terror group, reiterated his group’s support for its regional partners in the Iran-led “Axis of Resistance” and held out...

June 5, 2026 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Understanding Iran’s 3,000-Mile Battlefront

Iran is fighting a regional war, while the United States can focus only on one front at a time.

May 18, 2026 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Why Hezbollah’s Use of FPV Drones Against Israel Will Backfire

Hezbollah has begun using first-person view (FPV) drones against Israel, causing casualties among Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops deployed along the Lebanese border. While the threat is growing, it...