Iran And Yemen's Houthis Blockade, Hegseth On Capitol Hill, Arizona Primary Day

July 21, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The Houthis—a Yemeni Shiite militant group aligned with Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah—have announced a blockade of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow waterway connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and, ultimately, the Indian Ocean. On the other end, the strait feeds into the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean. This matters because Saudi Arabia, one of the world's largest oil producers, depends on Bab el-Mandeb to export millions of barrels of oil per day. The alternative route, the Strait of Hormuz, has already been effectively closed by Iran. A Houthi blockade would therefore rattle energy markets further and push prices higher. The Houthi leader framed the move as retaliation, calling it "a siege for a siege." Any successful blockade would test Gulf state unity against both the Houthis and Iran, and further stress global energy supply chains. Saudi Arabia and its neighbors have been exploring overland pipeline projects to bypass chokepoints like this, but those pipelines will take years to build.

U.S. Casualties and a Shift in Drone Warfare

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What you'll learn

1 (00:02) **Iran and Houthis Threaten to Blockade Key Oil Waterway** - Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels threaten to blockade the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical chokepoint for Saudi oil exports, after Saudi Arabia broke a ceasefire.
2 (02:57) **Who Are the Houthis and What's Their Goal?** - The Houthis are a Yemeni Shiite militant group aligned with Hamas and Iran, retaliating against Saudi Arabia for breaking a ceasefire.
3 (04:09) **Latest on Iran: Continued Strikes and Casualties** - U.S. airstrikes hit Iran for a tenth consecutive night, while Iran attacks bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan, killing at least 17 U.S. service members.
4 (05:34) **Hegseth on Capitol Hill for $90 Billion War Funding** - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testifies before Senators, asking for a nearly $90 billion funding boost, mostly for Iran operations.
5 (06:03) **The New Reality of Drone Warfare and U.S. Casualties** - A recent Iranian drone attack on a joint U.S.-Jordan base killed two soldiers, with another missing. A separate drone attack in Iraq killed another.
6 (08:05) **Pentagon Withholding Information on Casualties** - A U.S. military official confirms the Pentagon has been slow-walking information on casualties and damage to bases.
7 (09:16) **Arizona Primary Day: Key Races and Voter Concerns** - It's the last day of voting in Arizona's primary, setting the stage for swing state races in the fall.

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Guests on this episode

Quill Lawrence Joseph Votel

Show Notes

The war between the U.S. and Iran keeps widening as Yemen's Houthi rebels announce a blockade of Saudi Arabia that would choke off another key oil route, even as Iran signals it may be open to talks.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth heads to Capitol Hill today to ask lawmakers for a nearly 90 billion dollar funding boost for the war with Iran, in a rare chance for senators to question him after the Pentagon admitted 100 troops were wounded in the past two weeks and hasn't briefed reporters since May.
And it's the last day of primary voting in Arizona, a swing state that's become ground zero for election denialism, with big fall races taking shape for governor, a toss-up House seat, and secretary of state.

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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Tina Kraja, Andrew Sussman, Larry Kaplow, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle.

It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas

Our director is Christopher Thomas

We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Stacey Abbott.

And our Supervising Senior Producer is Vince Pearson.

(0:00) Introduction
(01:53) Iran And Yemen's Houthis Blockade
(05:31) Hegseth On Capitol Hill
(09:20) Arizona Primary Day

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