Yemen's Houthis declare maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia
Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced a maritime embargo of Saudi Arabia on Monday, stepping up the US-Iran war as the rebels threatened the top oil exporter’s ability to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. The group did not say how it planned to impose the embargo, whose...
Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Monday announced what they called a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia, escalating regional tensions at a time when conflict around the Strait of Hormuz is already rattling energy markets and shipping routes.
According to a monitored public feed based on Dawn World’s reporting, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group was imposing “a maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy, based on the equation of ‘an eye for an eye’, effective immediately.” The statement did not explain how the embargo would be enforced.
The declaration came as fighting between Iran and the United States intensified across the region, with Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, saying the country was engaged in a “full-scale war” with the US. The feed said the Houthis’ move was seen as adding pressure on Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, and potentially complicating access to Red Sea routes that are important for its oil shipments.
Saudi Arabia and the Houthis exchanged fire last week for the first time in years, raising concerns about the durability of a truce signed in 2022 that has held despite its formal expiration. The hostilities were triggered after an Iranian aircraft attempted to land in Sanaa, according to the feed, in what was described as a challenge to Saudi influence over Yemeni airspace.
The possible impact of a Houthi blockade could be significant. Saudi Arabia produces more than 10 million barrels of crude oil per day, and disruptions to Red Sea shipping could add strain to global energy supplies already under pressure from turmoil around Hormuz. The feed said the route is especially important because it helps Saudi Arabia bypass reliance on the strait, through which a large share of the world’s oil had moved before the conflict widened.
The United Nations also voiced concern. Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, warned that the Houthi threat risked an “even wider” regional conflict, the feed reported.
The Houthis have previously targeted vessels in the same broader waterway, beginning in November 2023 during the Gaza war, forcing some ships to take longer routes around Africa. Monday’s announcement raised the possibility of renewed pressure on maritime traffic in the Red Sea and nearby corridors.
The report, based on a monitored public feed, also said US and Iranian forces continued trading strikes across the region, with fresh attacks reported in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain. It described the broader confrontation as centering on control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key passage for global oil flows.
Source: Dawn World - https://www.dawn.com/news/2016977/yemens-houthis-declare-maritime-blockade-of-saudi-arabia
