Houthi Rebels Threaten Bab Al-Mandeb Blockade; US Defense Secretary to Testify Amid Regional Tensions

Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels say they plan to blockade the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait, a crucial route for Saudi Arabia's oil exports on the Red Sea. The waterway currently allows Saudi Arabia to export millions of barrels of oil per day. The Houthis' announcement comes as tensions in the region are already shaken by 10 days of fire exchanged between the U.S. and Iran as they try to assert control over the effectively closed Strait of Hormuz. A blockade of the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait could disrupt energy markets and drive up energy prices.

A Houthi blockade could put to the test the unity of Gulf states in their stance against the Houthis and Iran, as well as energy supply chains, NPR's Emily Feng tells Up First. Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries are actively pursuing overland pipeline projects to transport oil and reduce reliance on maritime routes, but construction could take years. Feng says there are still diplomatic efforts to revive a temporary ceasefire. This week, Iran's foreign minister said ending the war is possible "through total military victory or through negotiations."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee today, as the White House seeks nearly $90 billion in funding, mostly for military operations in Iran. Lawmakers will have the rare opportunity to grill him about the conflict, especially since the Pentagon hasn't updated the press since May. The meeting coincides with President Trump's visit to Dover, Maryland, to recover the bodies of two soldiers who were killed in Jordan last Friday.

The Defense Department has been slow to share information on casualties, a U.S. military official not authorized to speak publicly confirmed to NPR. A hundred servicemembers have been injured in the last two weeks, a Pentagon spokesperson said this week. Concerns in Congress are mounting over the rapid depletion of U.S. munitions, an issue likely to be raised to Hegseth today, NPR's Quil Lawrence says. The Pentagon's inadequate communication has tarnished trust and credibility among the American public, Congress and crucial regional allies who are facing Iranian attacks, three former military officials tell Lawrence.

The source of the Cyclospora illness outbreak remains unknown, but the Food and Drug Administration continues to recommend that consumers avoid iceberg lettuce grown or processed by Taylor Farms in Mexico. This is despite its announcement that a prior test falsely identified the Cyclospora parasite in a lettuce sample from the company. The FDA announced on social media that the false-positive lab sample doesn't affect its ongoing outbreak investigation or the strong data supporting Taylor Farms' current voluntary recall. There are more than 1,600 confirmed cases of diarrhea linked to the parasite, with a growing number of suspected cases in the thousands.