Full story
Houthi blockade reshapes routes
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, who control northern and western Yemen including the coast at the mouth of the Red Sea, announced a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia on Monday and threatened to attack ships that load or discharge Saudi oil.
Two oil tankers carrying Saudi crude to China and India reversed course in the Red Sea on Tuesday, heading toward the Suez Canal rather than out through the Bab el-Mandeb strait, after the Houthis’ warnings.
The Houthis’ email to shipping companies said, "Vessels are banned from loading or discharging cargo at or from any Saudi ports," and it said the new conditions came into force at 1201 GMT on Monday.
The diversions came as the Red Sea served as the main alternative route for Saudi oil exports diverted via pipeline through Yanbu after the war disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
In the same period, the U.S. said it was bombing targets across Iran for an 11th straight night, while Tehran residents reported explosions in the early hours of Wednesday as Iran activated its air defences over the capital.
Threats, warnings, and counterclaims
In a statement carried by state news, the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of laying an "aggressive siege" against them and said the maritime embargo would be imposed effective immediately.
Saudi Arabia condemned the allegation and vowed that the country "will take all necessary measures to protect its ships in accordance with international law" as the Houthis said they were closing Bab al-Mandab to Saudi vessels.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the Houthis had not yet shut the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the "Gate of Tears" leading into the Red Sea, and he threatened to act if they did: "If something like that happens, we take care of it,".
A Reuters-seen email from the Houthis’ Sanaa-based Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOCC) warned that "Any such activity would expose the violating vessels to sanctions" and that ships could be targeted "in any location" within the operational reach of the Yemeni Armed Forces.
The BBC reported that Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the maritime embargo was retaliation for a Saudi blockade of ports and airports in Houthi-controlled north-western Yemen, framing it as "an eye for an eye".
Energy stakes and shipping uncertainty
The Houthis’ threat to close the Red Sea’s southern gateway raised fears of shortages by removing a critical alternative route for Saudi Arabia to the Strait of Hormuz, with Red Sea traffic not fully recovered since Houthi attacks off Yemen’s coast began in November 2023.
CNBC reported that the Houthis’ threat puts approximately 2.5 million barrels per day of Saudi oil at risk at a time when traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is at a standstill, while it said mediators have presented Washington and Tehran with a proposal for a 10-day ceasefire.
The National reported that shipping data showed the Xin Long Yang, which finished loading two million barrels of Saudi crude destined for China, turning towards Suez, and it said the smaller tanker Rodos, which had loaded about 700,000 barrels for India, performed the same manoeuvre.
The Guardian of the same episode described how Saudi Arabia has diverted more than 70% of its crude exports to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, with about 4 million barrels per day shipped from there in recent weeks compared with about 973,000 bpd a year earlier.
In parallel, the U.S. Central Command said it had facilitated the transit of around 900 commercial vessels and 450 million barrels of crude oil through the strait since early May, underscoring how quickly the region’s chokepoints can shift from one route to another.
