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Tankers hit in Red Sea
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis claimed they attacked two Saudi oil tankers, Encelia and Layla, in the Red Sea, saying they targeted them for “violation of the blockade decision issued by the armed forces.”
Al Jazeera reported that the Houthis said the operation used “ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones,” and that it led to fires on the ships.
The Saudi Press Agency reported that Encelia had been hit and said “all crew members were safe,” while it did not provide details on the claimed Layla attack.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre said it received reports that a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile, causing a fire onboard that the crew were fighting, and it said it monitors shipping in the region.
Trump threatens Iran
President Donald Trump said the U.S. would hold Iran responsible for future Houthis attacks, writing on social media that “major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis, themselves.”
AP reported that the U.S. military launched the 13th night of strikes Thursday against Iran, targeting key military and commercial sites, after the Houthis said they targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.
AP also said U.S. Central Command described the latest barrage as designed to “further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters.”
CNBC reported that Trump warned that if the Houthis “do this again, the U.S. will hold Iran responsible,” and it tied the warning to the Houthis being a “Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran.”
Shipping routes at risk
The Houthis threatened to disrupt trade further, with Al Jazeera saying Saree claimed they had forced “nearly ten ships… to abandon their routes, and turn back,” as the group imposed a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia on July 20.
AP said the Houthis threatened to shut down another key trade route, with the world economy already reeling from Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and it described a scramble for alternative routes as Iran and the U.S. stepped up attacks.
The Guardian reported that three oil tankers that had loaded Saudi crude for China and India made U-turns on Tuesday away from Houthi-controlled coast at the mouth of the Red Sea, and it said the Houthis claimed six ships had changed course.
In parallel, Al Jazeera warned that the Bab al-Mandeb chokepoint is just 29km (18 miles) wide at its narrowest point and that in 2024 about 4.1 billion barrels of crude oil and refined petroleum products passed through the strait, about 5 percent of the global total.
