Yemen's Houthis declare naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, widening threat to global oil supplies

Red Sea traffic has been disrupted off the coast of Yemen since last week by the Tehran-aligned Houthis, who want to blockade Saudi exports, expanding the US-Iran conflict that has already choked oil supply through the Strait of Hormuz.

US-Iran war: Eleven commodity vessels passed through the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Sunday, the lowest level in months.

According to Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency, the vessel had deviated from a shipping route designated by Iranian authorities before colliding with a sea mine.

The US military said its naval blockade against Iran “remains in full effect” but did not explain why it halted a streak of 13 nights of escalating strikes.

Skirmishes between Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia intensified as a pause in the nearly two-week run of nightly US strikes on Iran raised fresh questions about President Donald Trump’s strategy in the war.

The United States has halted a streak of nightly strikes on Iran while Iranian forces have not launched attacks on any of its neighbours.

A person gestures towards smoke rising in the aftermath of a Saudi-led coalition airstrike in Yemen's southern port of Mukalla, in this screengrab from a handout video obtained by Reuters on December 30, 2025. — ReutersSaudi says Hodeidah port remained open to shipping.Kamaran…

The Iran-aligned Houthi militia group instead says it has only established a "naval blockade" of Saudi ships in the Red Sea. It comes as the US and Iran also vie for control of the vital Strait of Hormuz. DW has more.

NPR's A Martínez asks former U.S. deputy national security adviser Jon Finer what the blockade of the Red Sea by Houthi rebels means for the global economy.

• Says armed forces vigilant about situation in Bab el-Mandab; will give swift response if Islamabad’s assets come under attack • PM reassures Saudi crown prince of full support, condemns Yemeni rebels’ attacks on oil tankers • Dar meets Omani FM on sidelines of Asean moot; FO…

Escalating Houthi warnings to ships carrying Saudi crude through the strait lead to fears of further price surge A fresh front in the Middle East crisis opened this week, bringing a return of soaring global energy markets and stoking fears that the oil price could surge to $120…

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are seen in a meeting, in a photo released on September 16, 2025. — X@PakPMOPM Shehbaz says Houthi attacks violated international law.Houthis claim missile and drone strikes on Saudi oil tankers.KSA confirms…

Brent prices rise after Yemeni rebels say they hit the Encelia and the Layla

In recent weeks, Iran has hit tankers using a route hugging the Omani coast to traverse the strait, in a bid to strongarm vessels into using its own waters and pay for safe passage

Claimed attacks come days after Houthis announced naval embargo on Saudi vessels

All of the ships were travelling to or from Saudi ports before changing course, ship-tracking data shows.

Saudi oil used Red Sea to bypass Hormuz Now that route is blockaded

An image showing the board reading "Ministry of Foreign Affairs" outside the office of Minstry of Foreign Affairs. — APP/FileFO warns hostilities against Pakistan's interests to draw response.Says Pakistan reserves right to use force to protect maritime assets.Adds threats…

The United States plans to announce an agreement with Saudi Arabia on Wednesday that would give the country a civilian nuclear programme, according to media reports, amid renewed fighting between the Gulf oil giant and Houthi rebels in Yemen. Citing two unnamed US officials, the…

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.

Iran-backed Houthis have threatened to impose a maritime blockade by blocking Bab al-Mandab, through which about 10% of global trade transits daily

A successful effort to ‌shut the Bab el-Mandeb Strait would strike at one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes

On Tuesday, Qatar vehemently denounced remarks by the Houthi military spokesman accusing Saudi Arabia of enforcing a siege on Yemen and choking off shipping channels. According to a statement by Qatar's Foreign Ministry on the preservation treaties to uphold relevant UN Security…

The short-term focus again was oil prices, which swung sharply as investors weighed Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis declaring a naval blockade against ‌Saudi Arabia against ⁠Reuters reporting that ⁠mediators had passed Iran a proposal to de-escalate the war with the U.S. Benchmark…

The Houthis have declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, a move that could affect oil exports, shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and global energy markets

Iran targets US military assets as Houthis threaten to expand Mideast war

The ‘eye-for-an-eye’ move could send fuel prices soaring.

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said it will respond to the Houthis' threats to ships with "force".

The Houthis, the Iran-backed militant group based in Yemen, on Monday announced that they have set up a blockade on Saudi Arabia, ramping up the potential for tensions in the Red Sea. The Yemeni militia has not offered any specifics on what the blockade will entail, only that it…

Bab el-Mandeb, at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is the gateway to the Red Sea through which around 12% of the world’s trade usually passes

Group said that the move was ‘based on the equation of “an eye for an eye”, effective immediately’

The militants, in a statement carried by state news, accused the Saudis of laying an "aggressive siege" against them.

In a statement, the Houthis' military spokesperson Yahya Saree says the group will enforce the blockade against its "criminal Saudi enemy", effective immediately.

The rebels "declare a maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy, based on the equation of 'an eye for an eye,' effective immediately upon the issuance of this statement," military spokesman Yahya Saree said.

Decision ​in response to unjust, oppressive siege imposed on Yemen by the Saudis, according to a Houthi spokesperson