Houthis warn shipping companies to avoid Saudi ports, email shows
The warning could divert tankers from Red Sea routes, and two oil tankers already reversed course after the Houthi email, shipping sources said.
- On Monday, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis announced a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, declaring "a maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy, based on the equation of 'an eye for an eye', effective immediately."
- Yemen has remained mired in conflict since 2014 when Houthis seized Sanaa, prompting Saudi-led coalition intervention; the country now divides between a Saudi-backed government in Aden and Houthi-controlled Sanaa.
- Two oil tankers reversed course in the Red Sea on Tuesday after Houthi threats; rerouting around Africa's Cape of Good Hope requires four additional weeks and raises freight costs, while Saudi crude transiting Bab el-Mandeb reached over 4 million barrels per day last month.
- "Changing behavior by tankers tells us that they are taking the threats seriously," said Matt Smith, commodity research director at Kpler, as Asian refiners seek alternative routes for Saudi crude shipments.
- The blockade intensifies the broader U.S.-Israeli war with Iran that has sharply cut supplies; strategic alternatives including the SUMED pipeline provide contingency routes, though full Bab el-Mandeb closure would force costly deviations for charterers.
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64 Articles
The last resort for Saudi oil may be about to be completely cut off. Now Iran's allies are threatening to attack ships in the Red Sea. For the world market, it means another blow - an extended war and higher oil prices.
Several ships connected to Saudi Arabia do not currently appear to be coming out of the Red Sea - at least not in a southern direction. The blockade of the Huthis shows effect. Operators of other freighters communicate with the rebels through their electronic messages.
How one of Iran's 'Axis' allies is threatening to widen the war
The Houthi rebels, described as one of Iran's "merchants of chaos", have threatened to widen the conflict in the Middle East by declaring a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia. Here's what could happen next.
Free Malaysia Today News
OODA LoopSaudi crude tankers turn back as Houthis open new front in US-Iran war
The Houthis, who control northern and western Yemen, including the coast at the mouth of the Red Sea, announced a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia.
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