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Houthis target Red Sea
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have completed preparations to attack ships transiting the Red Sea’s southern access point, with the Joint Maritime Information Center warning mariners that missiles and drones were positioned near Bab el-Mandeb.
“A new threat by Yemen’s Houthis could widen the Iran war and put another trade chokepoint at risk A new threat by Yemen’s Houthis could widen the Iran war and put another trade chokepoint at risk CAIRO (AP) — A declared blockade of Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Houthi rebels has the potential to widen the Iran war and further disrupt global oil supplies and international trade”
The Houthis declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia on Monday, threatening to cut off the kingdom’s oil exports through the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb, and the EU naval mission warned Wednesday that merchant vessels linked to Israeli, U.S. or Saudi interests should avoid transiting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden until the threat level decreases.
The JMIC said commercial traffic continued through the southern Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb with no attacks in the past two days, while Kpler observed a 34% decline in traffic through Bab el-Mandeb on Tuesday compared with Monday.
The threat is tied to the wider Iran conflict, as the CNBC report says the strait connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and global markets, and that Iran has stepped up attacks on tankers in Hormuz as it tries to force vessels to transit the strait through its territorial waters.
U-turns and blockade warnings
As the Houthis threatened another Saudi oil route, Reuters data cited by NDTV said three Saudi oil tankers—the Xin Long Yang, the Rodos and the Amazon—made U-turns in the Red Sea rather than braving the Yemeni coast at the sea’s mouth.
NDTV said the vessels were headed towards the Suez Canal when the warning came, and it reported that the tankers switched off their transponders on Tuesday.
The Jerusalem Post, citing an email seen by Reuters, said the Houthis told shipping companies that "Vessels are banned from loading or discharging cargo at or from any Saudi ports," and it added that such activity may result in being targeted "in any location" by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis.
AP described the stakes as a potential widening of the Iran war, saying the rebels claim to have closed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Saudi-linked shipping in retaliation for the kingdom’s blockade on Yemen and a recent attack on the international airport in Yemen’s rebel-held capital, Sanaa.
Trump, Turkey, and trade risk
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. would “take care of things” in the Red Sea if Yemen’s Houthis impose a blockade on shipping and energy exports coming from Saudi Arabia, adding that the U.S. had “done that with the Houthis before.”
“Iran's Houthi allies in Yemen have completed preparations to attack ships transiting the Red Sea's southern access point, a maritime security group led by the U”
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry denounced the threats, with TRT عربي quoting Ankara’s call to avoid actions that would increase tensions, including the Turkish Foreign Ministry statement: "We renew our call to avoid any actions that would increase the tensions currently in the region."
AP warned that the declared blockade could widen the Iran war and further disrupt global oil supplies and international trade, and it reported that three Houthi officials told the AP on Tuesday that the group has planned for months how to disrupt shipping in the strait.
The AP report also said Bab el-Mandeb is a vital shipping chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, and it quoted Clionadh Raleigh of ACLED saying, "If Bab el-Mandeb comes under pressure at the same time as shipping in the Gulf, you have disruption around two of the world’s most important maritime routes at once."
