Analyse the interlinkages between the Yemen civil war, Iran's regional posture, and global energy markets.

Yemen's civil war (since 2014-15), pitting the Iran-aligned Houthis against the Aden-based internationally recognised government, is no longer a localised contest. Its escalation in 2026 shows how an intra-state war, an external patron's strategy, and oil prices form one interlocking chain.

Part 1 — The civil war as the ground layer

• Territorial split: Houthis hold Sanaa and Hodeida; the government holds Aden and Mokha, renovated to bypass Houthi-controlled Hodeida.
• Collapse of the years-long truce in July-August 2026 — Saudi strikes on Sanaa airport, Houthi retaliation on Abha — restored open Saudi-Houthi hostilities, with attacks on Mokha hitting a fuel storage facility and civilian objects [2].
• The UN Special Envoy warned Yemen risks being drawn into a wider Middle East conflict [3].

Part 2 — Iran's regional posture as the amplifier

• The Houthis give Iran deniable leverage without direct confrontation: a low-cost drone/missile capability against high-value Saudi assets, echoing the 2019 Abqaiq pattern.
• Their declared maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, running parallel to pressure on the Strait of Hormuz, converts Yemen's coastline into a lever over Gulf energy exports [1].
• The UNSC has kept a standing reporting mandate on Houthi Red Sea attacks (Resolution 2826, 2026), reflecting the issue's systemic character [4].

Part 3 — Transmission to energy markets

• Two chokepoints — Bab-el-Mandeb and Hormuz — are simultaneously threatened; strikes on tankers and refining infrastructure hit supply directly.
• Rerouting via the Cape of Good Hope raises freight and war-risk insurance costs, feeding crude and shipping-price volatility [1].

Reassembly — the Indian stake

• With crude import dependence near 90%, largely Gulf-sourced, price shocks transmit to India's current account and inflation [5]. The Navy's Operation Sankalp protects these sea lanes [6].

The three strands are one causal chain: a domestic war supplies the actor, Iran supplies the strategy, and geography supplies the leverage. For India, the response lies in continued sea-lane presence, source diversification and strategic reserves, alongside support for the UN-led peace process — the durable fix, since only ending the war breaks the chain.