At least 60 people have been killed and, according to protesters, nearly 1,000 wounded in Yemen after a fresh wave of violence hit on September 18. Demonstrators called for Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is in Saudi Arabia recovering from an attack on his compound in June, to step down—something he has promised to do several times.

Yemen is on the brink of civil war. The protesters are supported by Gen. Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar’s troops, a powerful faction, making the situation more like Libya than Egypt. The latest bloodshed only pushes the two sides further apart, making anarchy more likely.

And the anarchy will favor Iran.

Iran has proven that it is the world expert at getting control of anarchy. Or at least the Middle East’s expert. It has Iraq and Lebanon, and is gaining Libya and Egypt.

But Iran doesn’t even need to get control of Yemen to come out on top. Saudi Arabia is Iran’s biggest opponent in the region, and Yemen is right on its border. Anarchy means a breeding ground for extremists on Saudi Arabia’s borders.

This is where anarchy hurts the U.S. too. America would be the extremists’ number one target.

And if Iran does get control of Yemen, it gives it a strategic base by the Gulf of Aden. Everything seems to be going Iran’s way in Yemen.