What is Houthis?
The Houthis are a Yemeni armed group that has been attacking tankers in the Red Sea, disrupting shipping. As of August 2026, they have paused attacks on tankers, but their actions continue to shape maritime routes and regional geopolitics.
Company timeline
- May 2025 - The U.S. fought a war with the Houthis to get them to pull back from a temporary shutdown of the Red Sea, but “we lost essentially,” according to Robert Pape, as of July 2026.
- Mar 2026 - Karen Young said the Houthis “were never a terribly great proxy for Iran anyway.”
- Apr 2026 - Houthi soldiers began receiving half salaries, apparently from Saudi Arabia, which Ian Bremmer described as “protection money” to ensure the Houthis don’t hit them.
- Aug 2026 - Since August 5th, the Houthis have not launched an attack on a tanker in the Red Sea, per David Woo.
- Aug 2026 - Many tankers turn off their transponders and avoid southward routes, instead going northward into Europe after loading Saudi oil, to avoid potential Houthi attacks, according to David Woo.
Where it appears in the record
Every line below is attributed to a named speaker.
Houthis have not attacked a tanker in the Red Sea since August 5th, a notable pause in the campaign.
“Since August 5th, okay, the Houthis have not launched an attack on a tanker in the Red Sea.”David Woo · 18 Aug 2026
Why European physical crude is not tight: Saudi-loaded tankers in the Red Sea shut off transponders and reroute north through the Suez Canal to Europe to avoid Houthi attack, flooding European supply.
“A lot of tankers simply turn off their transponders. They cannot go southward. I mean, let's just say once they've loaded Saudi oil in the Red Sea, they rather instead of going southward, which could be potentially vulnerable to Houthi attack, they go northward and then they go into Europe.”David Woo · 18 Aug 2026
The US effectively lost its military campaign against the Houthis in May 2025, failing to reopen the Red Sea despite a direct engagement.
“We fought a war with the Houthies in May 2025 to try to get them to pull back from a temporary shutdown of the Red Sea. And we lost essentially.”Robert Pape · 23 Jul 2026
Saudi Arabia has reportedly been paying Houthi soldiers half-salaries as protection money to prevent attacks on Saudi territory, a strategy Bremmer characterizes as pragmatic.
“There were a lot of Houthi soldiers that started receiving half salaries about 2 and 1/2 3 weeks ago, and that appears to be from Saudi Arabia. So, they're essentially paying protection money to ensure that the Houthis don't hit them, and that seems like a relatively smart thing.”Ian Bremmer · 22 Apr 2026
The Houthis were never a highly effective proxy for Iran and are now making independent decisions, undermining the conventional framing of them as a reliable Iranian instrument.
“They were never a terribly great proxy for Iran anyway.”Karen Young · 4 Mar 2026