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Houthis target tankers
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Iran and its Houthi allies in Yemen with “major military punishment” after the Houthis attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, extending the conflict to a second major shipping chokepoint.
“He expressed his disappointment at the group's return to attacking ships after it announced it would target two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea”
The BBC’s reporting in the provided materials frames the threat as tied to the Houthis’ Red Sea campaign, while CNBC says Trump warned the U.S. would hold Iran responsible for future attacks on Saudi vessels.
In the same reporting stream, the Houthis said they targeted the tankers Encelia and Layla with drones and missiles, and the state-run Saudi Press Agency confirmed the Encelia was targeted and that the attack resulted in a fire at the bow.
DW also tied the escalation to Yemen’s Houthis, noting the U.S. response and the broader regional context as the “volatile political situation” affects deployments near the Strait of Hormuz.
UN and shipping risks
The Guardian reported UN Secretary-General António Guterres telling the security council that the Middle East is being pushed to the “edge of the unimaginable,” warning that “One escalation triggers the next.”
In parallel, CBS News said the U.S. blockade on the Strait of Hormuz redirected 12 vessels since it was put back in place nine days ago, and it quoted U.S. Central Command on the blockade’s effect on ships entering or exiting Iranian ports.
CBS News also reported the International Maritime Organization condemning the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, with IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez saying, “I unequivocally condemn the latest reported attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea area.”
The same CBS account described the Bab el-Mandeb Strait as a key corridor for trade and said the apparent closure would still exacerbate the oil crisis, with oil prices crossing $100 a barrel on Thursday.
What comes next
The Washington Times reported Trump said he was “disappointed” in the Houthis in Yemen for “shooting at two Saudi Arabian ships last night,” and he vowed that if they strike again, “major military punishment will be inflicted uponIranand, of course, theHouthisthemselves.”
“President Donald Trump on Thursday said the U”
Reuters-based reporting in SWI swissinfo.ch said the Houthis control the north and west of Yemen and that they had imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, which Trump said would lead to “severe military punishment” for Iran and the Houthis.
SWI swissinfo.ch also said the Houthis’ attacks could lead to the closure of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, described as the world’s second-most important energy shipping lane after the Hormuz Strait.
As the pressure builds, the same SWI swissinfo.ch account said shipping data showed two giant Chinese oil tankers carrying four million barrels of oil attempting to leave the Red Sea through Bab al-Mandeb, while CNBC reported the U.S. completed its 12th consecutive night of strikes on Iran and said the strikes “further degrade Iran's ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels.”
