DOMINANT ANGLE
Moscow interprets the escalation as the formation of a unique pressure lever on Iran, where the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the Houthi advance towards Bab el-Mandeb converge under American supervision, rather than as two separate crises.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
On Tuesday, September 15, only two ships entered and two exited the Strait of Hormuz, compared to around 125 per day before the war, according to Kpler cited by TASS.
- 02
The supertanker Algaya hit naval mines on Monday, September 14, in a restricted area of the southern strait, according to the IRGC navy, which described it as being entirely in flames.
- 03
The Houthis took the port of Mokha and then the island of Mayyoun (Perim) in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, forcing the withdrawal of Yemeni government forces on Monday, September 14.
ANALYSIS
Moscow, Wednesday, September 16, 2026. For Russian agencies, the essence of the Gulf and Red Sea crisis is being played out on the military terrain, not in diplomatic salons. TASS reports that on Tuesday, September 15, only two ships entered and two left the Strait of Hormuz, compared to around 125 vessels per day before the war triggered by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28, according to the analysis company Kpler cited by Reuters. This artery had until now ensured nearly 20% of the world's daily oil and liquefied natural gas exports.
The agency also notes that the giant oil tanker Algaya hit naval mines on Monday, September 14, while attempting to cross a prohibited zone in the south of the strait, according to the navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which claims to have previously warned the crews of the danger of this unauthorized route: "the entire tanker is on fire," the statement specifies. The next day, Sputnik, citing Press TV, indicates that the IRGC shot down an MQ-1 drone over the western part of the strait with a new air defense system.
On the Yemeni front, TASS notes that Houthi forces took the port of Mokha and then the island of Mayyoun (Perim) in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, pushing government forces to retreat on Monday, September 14. US Vice President JD Vance confirmed at Andrews Base that Washington remained "in constant contact" with the Emiratis, Saudis, and the Houthis themselves to follow a situation he deemed "very fluid." On Tuesday, the same agency reported seven airstrikes by the Saudi air force on the Houthi province of Saada, where spokesman Yahya Saree claims that his forces responded with domestically manufactured surface-to-air missiles against Typhoon and F-15 aircraft.
RT links these two fronts to a single system: the Houthi advance towards Bab el-Mandeb, the media writes, transforms a local sector of the Yemeni war into a second lever of pressure on Iran, alongside the blockade of Hormuz, in a context of direct confrontation with the United States. However, the Ansar Allah movement assures, through the voice of its spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam, that trade in the Red Sea remains safe, with restrictions only applying to ships linked to Riyadh.
SOURCES (3)
- SputnikMEDIUM