Hormuz still blocked, now Iran-backed Houthis advance towards Red Sea chokepoint

Iran-backed Houthis seized control of Yemen's port city of Mocha on Thursday and advanced down the Red Sea coast to strategic islands, military sources told Reuters. This posed a further threat to Red Sea traffic, while Gulf traffic remains restricted through the Strait of Hormuz.

Mocha is vital to controlling shipping through the Red Sea. The city is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a waterway that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and through which about 12 percent of the world’s goods are typically shipped.

The development came hours after US President Donald Trump said he expected the war in Iran to end after the US midterm elections.