Egypt Secretly Reopens Channels with Houthis to Ease Red Sea Tensions

An Egyptian source revealed to the Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed on September 29, 2025, that Egyptian authorities have recently revived covert communication channels with the Houthi movement in Yemen. The initiative aims to reduce escalating regional tensions and prevent a conflict that could directly disrupt maritime traffic through the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea. This move follows intelligence indicating that Iran has urged its Yemeni ally, the Houthis, to close the Bab al-Mandab Strait amid the current regional escalation. Such a closure could severely disrupt shipping routes to the Suez Canal and cause significant economic losses to Egypt due to decreased canal revenues.

The Egyptian source explained that Cairo is pursuing multiple tracks simultaneously, including maintaining continuous contact with Tehran to de-escalate tensions and encourage all parties to avoid actions that could broaden the conflict or threaten international maritime freedom in the Red Sea. Notably, the communication channels with the Houthis are not managed through Egypt's Foreign Ministry but are handled by sovereign security agencies operating outside conventional diplomatic frameworks due to the sensitive security nature and regional complexity of the issue.