Houthis ‘take control’ of key island in global shipping route

胡塞武装“控制”全球航运路线上的关键岛屿

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have “taken control” of Perim Island in the Red Sea as part of a “large-scale” military operation to expel the opposing “Saudi-backed forces”. The island sits on the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which acts as a gateway to a key shipping route linking Asia and Europe - here’s why it is significant. While the Houthis claim the Strait “is safe for all companies except for Saudi vessels”, there are fears such a move could threaten one of the world’s most important maritime waterways, writes the BBC’s diplomatic correspondent. 也门胡塞武装已“控制”了红海的丕林岛（Perim Island），作为驱逐敌对“沙特支持部队”的“大规模”军事行动的一部分。该岛位于曼德海峡（Bab al-Mandab Strait），是连接亚洲和欧洲的关键航运路线的门户——以下是其重要性的原因。据BBC外交记者报道，尽管胡塞武装声称该海峡“对除沙特船只以外的所有公司都是安全的”，但人们担心此举可能会威胁到世界上最重要的海上航道之一。

The Iran-backed group escalated fighting last week and has made a “lightning” advance to occupy new territory, having now reportedly seized control of Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast. These latest escalations are likely to further squeeze the global energy market amid concerns that Saudi Arabia - the world’s second biggest oil producer - could face more pressure on its oil supplies. Meanwhile, the US has offered intelligence and targeting support for Saudi Arabia, but says it is not prepared, at least for now, to take direct military action. 这个受伊朗支持的组织上周升级了战斗，并以“闪电般”的速度占领了新领土，据报道目前已控制了也门整个红海海岸。在人们担心世界第二大石油生产国沙特阿拉伯可能面临更大的石油供应压力之际，这些最新的升级行动可能会进一步挤压全球能源市场。与此同时，美国已向沙特阿拉伯提供情报和目标定位支持，但表示至少目前尚未准备好采取直接的军事行动。

While the Houthis have said they pose no threat to international shipping, they have reiterated their intention to target vessels from Saudi Arabia and seized territory near the Bab al-Mandab Strait - a key trade gateway linking Asia and Europe. 尽管胡塞武装表示他们对国际航运不构成威胁，但他们重申了针对沙特阿拉伯船只的意图，并占领了连接亚洲和欧洲的关键贸易门户——曼德海峡附近的领土。

The potential disruption to Red Sea shipping could have a knock-on effect on global oil prices, as Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on the waterway for oil exports since the US and Israel’s war on Iran severely limited access through the Strait of Hormuz. 红海航运可能受到的干扰可能会对全球油价产生连锁反应，因为自美国和以色列对伊朗的战争严重限制了霍尔木兹海峡的通行以来，沙特阿拉伯越来越依赖这条水道进行石油出口。

Despite the Houthi blockade of Saudi vessels, oil prices have remained calm for now. The reason for this is likely that those who trade wholesale are unsure what the impact of the closure will be. This, in turn, makes predicting what the impact will be on energy prices and petrol prices at the pump very difficult. 尽管胡塞武装封锁了沙特船只，但油价目前保持平稳。原因很可能是批发交易商不确定此次封锁的影响会如何。这反过来又使得预测能源价格和加油站汽油价格受到的影响变得非常困难。

On the one hand, the impact could be huge. The Bab al-Mandab Strait has been a lifeline for Saudi oil since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and, if all oil exports are blocked it will push up oil prices. On the other hand, the impact could be limited. If the Bab al-Mandab Strait is closed completely, oil could go through the Suez Canal, though this can be expensive and costly. In addition, most big oil tankers are not Saudi-registered, so if the blockade remains purely a Saudi one, oil from many other countries will find a way to be sold. 一方面，影响可能是巨大的。自霍尔木兹海峡关闭以来，曼德海峡一直是沙特石油的生命线，如果所有石油出口都被封锁，油价将会上涨。另一方面，影响可能是有限的。如果曼德海峡完全关闭，石油可以通过苏伊士运河运输，尽管这可能既昂贵又费钱。此外，大多数大型油轮并非在沙特注册，因此如果封锁仅限于沙特船只，来自许多其他国家的石油仍会找到销售途径。

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly asked Donald Trump to take military action against the Iran-backed Houthis following their rapid advance across Yemen’s west coast. Salman has spoken to the US president multiple times in recent days, but Trump declined to get involved, two sources familiar with the matter tell the BBC’s US partner CBS News. The Saudis are seeking to build a coalition with the US amid concerns any attack against the Houthis could see Iran retaliate, the outlet adds. Trump has instead offered to assist with intelligence and targeting support, although talks between the two countries “remain fluid”, CBS adds, citing sources familiar. 据报道，在胡塞武装迅速推进并占领也门西海岸后，沙特王储穆罕默德·本·萨勒曼曾要求唐纳德·特朗普对受伊朗支持的胡塞武装采取军事行动。据两位知情人士向BBC的美国合作伙伴哥伦比亚广播公司（CBS）透露，萨勒曼最近几天曾多次与美国总统通话，但特朗普拒绝介入。该媒体补充说，沙特正寻求与美国建立联盟，因为担心任何针对胡塞武装的袭击都可能招致伊朗的报复。CBS援引知情人士的话称，特朗普转而提出提供情报和目标定位支持，尽管两国之间的谈判“仍处于变动中”。

A senior administration official did not answer a question about the call with the crown prince, but says that the US is “focused on protecting our core national security interests—such as ensuring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea—while empowering our regional partners to take the lead in managing and resolving regional security challenges.” 一位政府高级官员没有回答关于与王储通话的问题，但表示美国“专注于保护我们的核心国家安全利益——例如确保红海的航行自由——同时授权我们的区域伙伴在管理和解决区域安全挑战方面发挥主导作用。”

Ali Mohammed Khumaisi appears lost in thought, struggling to believe he has now spent eight years living in a makeshift shelter made of reeds, unable to reach his family just 12 miles (20km) away. He left the family home to visit his father in a nearby village one day when a surprise offensive drove the Houthis out of the area surrounding his family home – and Ali found himself trapped on the wrong side of the front line. 阿里·穆罕默德·胡迈西（Ali Mohammed Khumaisi）看起来陷入了沉思，难以相信自己已经在用芦苇搭建的临时住所里生活了八年，却无法联系到仅12英里（20公里）外的家人。有一天，他离开家去附近的村庄探望父亲，当时一场突如其来的攻势将胡塞武装赶出了他家周围的地区——阿里发现自己被困在了前线的另一侧。

“I call my children. They cry, and I cry. We cannot reach each other. Neither they nor I can get through because of this war,” he told BBC News Arabic last week. “Every day, the situation gets worse. War could return to this area at any moment. Artillery fire from the north is already close to us. I am afraid that one day my children and I will be separated forever and that I will never be able to reach them.” “我给孩子们打电话。他们哭，我也哭。我们无法联系到对方。因为这场战争，他们和我谁也过不去，”他上周告诉BBC阿拉伯语新闻。“情况每天都在恶化。战争随时可能回到这个地区。北方的炮火已经离我们很近了。我担心有一天我和孩子们会永远分离，我再也无法见到他们了。”

If the smoke plume visible today on Saudi Arabia’s oil pipeline which connects the Gulf to the Red Sea is confirmed to be from a Houthi attack, it would be the latest incident where the Iran-backed armed group has targeted Saudi oil infrastructure. On 27 July, the Houthis claimed to have struck oil refineries in both the east and west of Saudi Arabia. 如果今天在连接海湾和红海的沙特阿拉伯输油管道上可见的烟柱被证实是胡塞武装袭击造成的，这将是该受伊朗支持的武装组织针对沙特石油基础设施的最新一起事件。7月27日，胡塞武装声称袭击了沙特阿拉伯东部和西部的炼油厂。