🔴 Middle East live: Houthis close in on Bab el-Mandeb as Brent barrel price soars to over $106

# Why This Matters The Houthi advance toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait represents a direct threat to one of the world's most economically vital shipping channels, through which roughly 12% of global maritime trade and a significant portion of Middle Eastern oil flows daily. With Brent crude already breaching $106 per barrel—a level not seen since 2022—further Houthi control or disruption of the strait could trigger a cascade of economic consequences: shipping insurance premiums would spike, transit times would lengthen as vessels reroute around Africa, and energy costs would escalate for consumers and manufacturers worldwide. The Iranian-backed militia's capability to threaten this chokepoint also demonstrates how regional proxy conflicts now directly impact global supply chains and inflation pressures, forcing Western governments and energy markets to factor in an additional geopolitical risk premium that extends far beyond Middle Eastern affairs. For countries dependent on affordable energy imports—particularly Europe and Asia—any sustained disruption could reignite the kind of energy shocks that destabilized economies during the 2022 crisis.