This webinar is co-organised by the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, the Iranian Studies Unit at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, and the Sana'a Center. It will examine the implications of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran for Yemen and Red Sea security. The webinar forms part of The War on Iran — Regional Reverberations, a joint series by the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies and the Iranian Studies Unit and will take place online on 02 September 2026, at 15:00 (Doha Time).

Background

Yemen's conflict has become increasingly entangled in wider regional escalation, while the peace process faces mounting challenges as the 2022 truce continues to unravel. Recent escalation risks drawing the country back into a broader military confrontation, with serious implications for the security of the Bab al-Mandab. Any ​disruption to maritime traffic would have significant economic repercussions for Yemen and the wider region, with knock-on effects for the global economy, particularly if shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains constrained.

The US-Israel war on Iran, and the broader regional escalation that followed, altered the strategic pressures surrounding Yemen and, in turn, the internal dynamics of the conflict. These developments raise important questions about how local, regional, and international actors are adjusting their strategies in response to shifting regional conditions. They also raise important questions about the implications of the war on Iran for Red Sea security, external mediation efforts in Yemen, and the country's already fragile humanitarian and economic conditions.

Panellists:

  • Hussam Radman — Senior Researcher, Sana'a Center 

  • Thomas Juneau — Professor at the University of Ottawa's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and non-resident fellow, Sana'a Center 

  • ​Yasmeen Al-Eryani — Executive Director for Knowledge Production, Sana'a Center

Objectives

This webinar aims to achieve three interrelated objectives:

  • To examine how the War on Iran is affecting the dynamics of the Yemen conflict and actors' calculations.

  • To assess how the War on Iran is reshaping Red Sea security, including its implications for trade, humanitarian access, and Yemen's economic conditions.

  • To analyse what the war on Iran means for external mediation, including its effect on the capacity and interest of actors that might seek to mediate.​