Iran appears to be gaining another strategic advantage in its wider confrontation with the United States, as its ally Houthi seized Yemen's Red Sea port city of Mocha.
The rapid Houthi advance along Yemen's western coast has brought the group closer to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world's most important shipping chokepoints.
The development could give Tehran additional leverage at a time when traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is already heavily disrupted by the Iran-US conflict.
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Sources told Reuters that Tehran told the Houthis last week to intensify attacks on Saudi Arabia, a key US ally, while promising additional funding, weapons and senior military personnel.
Several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders had also travelled to Yemen to help coordinate the campaign, according to a regional diplomat briefed on the discussions.
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Iran, however, continues to deny directly controlling the Houthis. A senior Iranian official said Tehran does not control the group and maintained that the decision to capture Mocha was made by the Houthis themselves.
Yemeni military sources aligned with the internationally recognised government gave a different account. They told Reuters that IRGC personnel had helped direct the Houthi offensive along the Tihama coastal plain, which began with an intense rocket campaign. They also cited communications intercepts and accounts from captured Houthi fighters.
The sources identified senior IRGC commander Abdolreza Shahlaei as a possible figure overseeing the operation, although Iranian sources did not independently confirm his involvement.
The Houthis have now moved beyond Mocha towards the Hanish Islands, strengthening their position around the Red Sea. The group already controls Hodeidah and has declared a naval blockade against Saudi vessels.
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The strategic importance is significant. Bab el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and serves as a major route for energy and goods moving between Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal.
The escalation is also affecting oil markets. Brent crude rose above $100 a barrel on Thursday, as traders assessed growing risks around both Hormuz and the Red Sea.
Saudi-backed Yemeni forces are now attempting to contain the Houthi advance, but Riyadh has so far relied mainly on logistical, weapons and intelligence support, with limited airstrikes.
The renewed fighting threatens to turn Yemen into another major theatre of the broader Iran-US conflict.
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