Yemeni Foreign Minister-designate Afrah Al-Zouba warned on July 27 that Houthi forces seek to replicate the Iranian model by controlling key maritime straits. Houthis have conducted missile and drone attacks on Saudi targets and declared a blockade on Saudi shipping, prompting Saudi airstrikes on Houthi facilities. The moves occur against the backdrop of a 2022 truce in a war that has killed hundreds of thousands since the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014.