IRAN: View from the LEFT September 2026 N0.81

Word of the Month: The Houthi offensive

By: Majid Siadat

 The Houthis have captured a port and a couple of islands overlooking Bab el-Mandeb at the southern end of the Red Sea. This is a major chokepoint for international maritime trade, particularly oil, and an alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz.

The event is widely considered to be timed—and perhaps coordinated with the Islamic Republic—and may give the Iranian side an additional advantage in its ongoing negotiations with the United States. Nevertheless, the Western media generally portrays the Yemeni government (the Houthis) as proxies of the Islamic Republic. In reality, the two- the Yemeni Houthis and the Islamic Republic-are allies but remain independent of one another. At its core, this is a struggle between Yemen and Saudi-backed proxies. The Houthis' conflict with the Saudis has a history that long predates the establishment of the Islamic Republic.

The recent Houthi advance is partly due to a lack of coordination among the three components of the anti-Houthi coalition. The roots of this lack of coordination can best be traced to tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Meanwhile, this event offers a chance to evaluate the Saudi defence strategy.

Pakistani and Turkish authorities have declared a joint naval force to protect maritime traffic in the Red Sea. In practice, this is clearly also intended to protect Saudi Arabia, but it demonstrates the extent of the Mecca Accord involving Pakistan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia.

It has also been reported that Prince Mohammed bin Salman, following the attack on Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline. Beyond the combined weight of the three pact signatories, two main regional powers in the Middle East are: Israel and Iran. While much depends upon the outcome of the current US/Iran war, a 3-way political power struggle between pact members, Israel and Iran, is likely.  Given Israel’s posture towards Turkey, especially over Syria, and its genocidal aggression, there is significant scope for regional dynamics to develop into a struggle for peace in the Middle East vs. Israeli expansionism.

IRAN: View from the LEFT September 2026 N0.81