Although Iran does not border the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, Yemen does, and Iran is closely allied with the Houthis, the Yemeni militant group that previously conducted dozens of strikes against Israel-linked vessels in the Red Sea in 2023 and 2024 in response to the war in Gaza.
The reason Yemen is not an imperial proxy is because it’s a democratic, revolutionary government acting within its own interests. Proxies work for the empire at a detriment to themselves.
For instance, Ukraine refused a peace plan in favor of a protracted war because the UK and US wanted to use Ukraine to weaken Russia.
The Yemenis are in conflict with the Saudis and any country allied with them, which includes Israel. This is because the Saudis wanted regime change in Yemen and has split the country in two.
Nobody in Yemen is democratic, and Ukraine is acting in it’s own interests.
Nonsense. Ukraine’s interests include being at peace with its neighbors, not being $ billion in debt to Western arms dealers, in a losing war, etc.