Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis say they will block Saudi shipping at Red Sea gateway - AP News

What the report says

The Associated Press reported that Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels said Monday they were imposing a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia, a move they linked to a blockade on Yemen and recent blasts at Sanaa International Airport. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a video statement that the ban would begin immediately. Another Houthi official, Nasruddin Amer, wrote on X that the Bab al-Mandeb strait would be closed to Saudi shipping.

The announcement raises concern because Bab al-Mandeb, at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, is a major route between the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. AP reported that about 12% of world trade and a quarter of global container trade normally move through the 32-kilometer-wide passage. The Houthis previously disrupted shipping in the area during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, attacking more than 100 vessels, though AP said it was not clear whether they would attempt a comparable campaign against Saudi Arabia.

Saudi military spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said the kingdom would keep the waterway open and respond firmly to threats against vessels, describing such threats as violations of international law and maritime piracy. AP also cited Rystad Energy as saying around 2.5 million barrels of oil per day could be at risk, as Saudi Arabia has used its East-West Pipeline to move crude to the Red Sea.

The confrontation follows a fragile truce in Yemen’s long civil war. Saudi Arabia has led a coalition against the Houthis since 2015, after the rebels seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen in 2014.