Houthis claim attack on oil tankers as US launches more strikes on Iran

What the report says

BBC World News reports that Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement said it struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, naming them as the Encelia and the Layla, while the United States carried out a 12th consecutive night of attacks on Iran. The Houthis said the vessels were targeted with missiles and drones for allegedly breaching a naval blockade. BBC noted that, if verified, the incident would be the group’s first Red Sea attack since it announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia.

The BBC report says confirmation remains limited: UK Maritime Trade Operations reported that an unidentified projectile hit a Saudi tanker about 130km from Al Shuqaiq at 20:00 GMT, causing a fire but no casualties, while maritime risk firm Vanguard also identified the Encelia as hit. Responsibility for the strike, and the claimed attack on the Layla, had not been independently confirmed in the article.

Separately, US Central Command said it launched strikes at President Donald Trump’s direction against Iranian military-related targets, including maritime, missile, drone, surveillance and air defence assets. Iranian state media reported two deaths in southern Iran, and said a tanker caught fire after an explosion on a mined route near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard also said the strait had been closed and that three tankers were stopped from passing, according to the BBC account.

The developments matter because the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz are major energy and commercial shipping routes. BBC reported that ships have already turned back near Yemen, while regional hostilities have added pressure to fuel markets and left US-Iran peace efforts effectively stalled.