2026-07-21
10 分钟From the New York Times, it's the headlines.
I'm Tracy Mumford.
Today's Tuesday, July 21st.
Here's what we're covering.
In the Middle East, there are fears that a new front in the war could be opening.
Yesterday, one of Iran's key proxy forces, the Houthi militia in Yemen, declared
that it will choke off a key waterway in the region.
It said it would stop all ships from Saudi Arabia, a major U.S.
Ally, from passing through a portion of the Red Sea,
which has become a critical alternate path for oil shipments as the Strait of Hormuz has been under fire.
The Houthis, which are part of the so-called axis of resistance led by Iran,
have been fighting the Saudi-backed government in Yemen for years.
They've largely stayed out of the U.S.-Iran war so far,
but the new threat could bring them fully into the broader conflict in the region.
It could also put more strain on global energy supplies.
There is some precedent for what that could look like.
During the height of the war in Gaza, the Houthis attacked and hijacked ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with Hamas.
That forced shipping companies to divert their cargo thousands
of miles south around the tip of Africa, sending shipping costs soaring.
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill today, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the president's top military advisor,