Houthi rebels based out of Yemen are threatening to resume attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea region, as tensions continue to escalate between the U.S. and Iran.
According to the Associated Press, Houthi rebels released footage on January 26, depicting an attack from a year prior in the Gulf of Aden against a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker. Included in the video was the caption, "Soon," implying that the Iranian-backed group is once again planning to target vessels moving through the region. This comes as a U.S. aircraft carrier and several other missile destroyers have made their way toward the region, "just in case" the U.S. decides to move against Iran, President Donald Trump told reporters on January 22. Trump had previously threatened to take action in the event that Iran kills peaceful protesters, or conducts mass executions of those arrested at recent demonstrations.
The Houthis had initially agreed to stop attacking ships moving through the Red Sea in October 2025, in response to a ceasefire truce in Gaza. However, the group has frequently warned that it would resume strikes if the conflict reignited, or if U.S. and allied forces increased their military presence in the region.
Should attacks in the Red Sea resume, it could threaten plans from major ocean carriers to return shipping traffic to the region. Both Ocean Network Express and Maersk resumed Red Sea sailings in a limited capacity in mid-January, although CMA CGM reversed course on its own return plans on January 20, when it rerouted three Suez Canal services back around Africa's Cape of Good Hope.
