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Bab el-Mandeb fatalities
Iran-backed Houthis killed six people aboard a cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Tuesday, Yemen's Transport Ministry said, in what Reuters described as the first reported fatalities from attacks targeting Red Sea shipping in more than a year.
“Iran-backed Houthi rebels killed six people aboard a cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait”
Yemen's Transport Ministry said the casualties included four crew members aboard the vessel identified as the Egyptian-owned, Tanzania-flagged Tihamah, including three Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian, while the BBC reported that the transport ministry said the vessel was hit with three ballistic missiles south of the port of Mocha.
The Yemeni coast guard said a second deadly missile strike targeted rescuers who tried to evacuate the ship, and the BBC said the deaths included four crew - three Pakistanis and one Indonesian - with a fire breaking out on board.
The Times of India reported that four crew members were killed after the Houthis attacked the Egyptian-owned cargo ship Tihamah, and it said two rescuers from an anti-Houthi military group were also killed when the Houthis allegedly struck again after rescue teams reached the vessel.
Within hours of the Bab el-Mandeb attack, the U.S. military said it fired two missiles at a container ship attempting to sail toward an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman, and the BBC said the Houthis later claimed they hit a ship carrying Saudi military equipment.
Claims, diplomacy, and rhetoric
Yemen's Transport Ministry said it holds "the Houthi terrorist militias fully responsible for the deaths, injuries and damage" inflicted on the commercial vessel "Tihamah," while the BBC said the Houthis said they hit a ship carrying Saudi military equipment.
Nasrin Begum? No—here, the BBC reported that the Houthis launched their attacks on shipping last month by announcing a naval blockade of Saudi ports, and it said the conflict in the region has been ongoing for more than five months.
In Pakistan, Ishaq Dar told reporters that "Such attacks endanger innocent lives, constitute a violation of international law, and pose a serious threat to freedom of navigation," as the New York Times reported that Pakistan condemned the Houthi attack and confirmed three of its citizens were killed and another was injured.
Diplomacy around the Strait of Hormuz continued alongside the maritime violence, with CNBC saying a senior Pakistani minister told reporters the U.S. and Iran are close to "some sort of arrangement" over the Strait of Hormuz.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman also told Al Jazeera that talks between Iran and Oman about opening a shipping channel through the Strait of Hormuz were at a "critical juncture," even as CNBC said Iran's Supreme National Security Council laid out demands including an end to the U.S. naval blockade, sanctions relief, American troop withdrawals and war reparations.
Shipping disruption and next risks
The attacks came as shipping disruptions compounded, with the Times of India saying traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb and Red Sea has already fallen by more than 50% since an earlier wave of Houthi attacks between 2023 and 2025.
“saying 10 people were injured over the course of the strikes”
France 24, citing Yemen's coastguard, said 10 people were injured over the course of the strikes, while the Times of India reported that 10 people were injured, including seven crew members, two Coast Guard personnel and one member of the National Resistance Forces (NRF).
In the Gulf of Oman, CNBC said U.S. forces have redirected 55 commercial vessels attempting to breach the blockade since it took effect, disabled three non-compliant ships and boarded two, and it said there were no immediate reports of casualties from the Vela Nova strike.
Energy and economic stakes were tied to the Strait of Hormuz crisis, with CNBC saying traffic through the strait saw 20% of the world's oil trade before the conflict began in late February and that it has been barely trickling.
CNBC also quoted Warren Patterson, ING's head of commodities strategy, saying "Current rhetoric suggests any potential deal is still some way off, meaning risks remain skewed to the upside for oil prices," as it reported that Brent crude futures for October delivery added 0.6% to $89.44 a barrel on Wednesday.