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Houthi blockade threat
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran is the “troublemaker” of the Gulf region and warned that any attempt by Iran-backed Houthi rebels to follow through on their threat to block shipping transit in the Red Sea would be “problematic.”
“AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The vessels had loaded crude at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port of Yanbu before turning back towards the Suez Canal instead of continuing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait into the Indian Ocean, signalling the immediate impact of the Houthi announcement on commercial shipping”
Rubio’s comments came as the Iran-backed Houthis said they would impose a blockade on ships from Saudi Arabia, a key US ally and the world’s biggest oil exporter, if they tried to pass through the Red Sea.
Reuters ship-tracking data cited in the reporting showed four oil tankers changed courses in the Red Sea on July 22, and a day earlier three oil tankers carrying Saudi oil to Asia reversed course in the Red Sea.
The diversions were linked to the Houthis controlling the coast at the mouth of the Red Sea and to the broader disruption after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, which accounted for one-fifth of the world’s oil supplies until the start of the US-Israeli war on February 28.
Tankers turn back
After Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement warned ships against calling at Saudi ports, several commercial vessels reversed course, including the tanker Rodos carrying about 700,000 barrels of Saudi crude to India and the tanker Xin Long Yang carrying about 2 million barrels of Saudi crude for China.
Maritime publication Lloyd’s List reported that at least six vessels had changed course after the Houthis began enforcing the blockade, and it cited an email from the Houthi-run Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center warning that continuing toward Saudi ports could expose the ship to targeting “in any location within the operational reach of the Yemeni Armed Forces.”
Reuters reporting cited by the Indian Express said three oil tankers made U-turns in the Red Sea on Tuesday while heading towards the Suez Canal after approaching the Yemeni coast at the mouth of the sea, and it described the change as pointing to a second potential disruption to a major global shipping route.
The Indian Express also reported that the Xin Long Yang, a Very Large Crude Carrier that completed loading 2 million barrels of Saudi crude at Yanbu on Monday, initially headed out of the Red Sea towards China before making a U-turn and sailing back towards Suez, while the smaller tanker Rodos carrying about 700,000 barrels of Saudi crude bound for India also made a U-turn towards Suez.
What’s at stake
The AP said the Houthis’ declared blockade of Saudi Arabia could widen the Iran war and further disrupt global oil supplies and international trade, noting that the rebels say they 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.
“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 AP reported that the Houthis claim to have forced six ships to reroute on Tuesday, but it also said there was no independent confirmation, while it described Bab el-Mandeb as a vital shipping chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
In a separate account, the Guardian said the Houthis warned shipping companies that their tankers risk being attacked if they use Saudi Arabian ports, and it quoted Donald Trump saying the US would “just have to take care of business” if the Houthis followed through on their threats.
The Guardian also said shipping companies were told in an email from the Houthis on Monday that they should not load or discharge cargo at Saudi Arabian ports and that such activity may result in being targeted “in any location” within its reach, raising questions over the safety of navigating a channel used by 7% of global maritime traffic.
