Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have written to the EU to say they will not target European ships in the Red Sea, even as they seek to tighten their grip over the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. In a letter this month to the EU’s foreign and security policy arm, the Houthis sought to reassure Europeans that their offensive along Yemen’s southern coast was not intended to disrupt international shipping, said two diplomats briefed on the matter. The letter was sent on September 10, the day the rebels seized the Yemeni port of Mocha, after which they captured several islands in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb.

The Houthis have also assured the US they will not target American ships after Oman facilitated talks with the Trump administration. US President Donald Trump said the Houthis had called Washington to say “they don’t want to fight with us” and are letting most ships go through. However, the fresh Houthi offensive — which shattered a 2022 ceasefire with Saudi Arabia — has unnerved international shipping companies, particularly tanker owners, at a time when Iran is throttling traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Despite this, container shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb has reached almost 30 per cent of pre-2023 levels, with Maersk’s CEO Vincent Clerc noting no attacks on container ships for over a year, suggesting the absence of hostile intent.