Armed Yemeni supporters of the Iran-backed Houthi movement hold portraits of Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi during a protest against what the group says are restrictions imposed by the Saudi-led coalition on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, in Sanaa on July 17. | AFP-JIJI
REUTERS
Jul 21, 2026
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis will impose a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, they said on Monday, further throttling a global energy market already greatly restricted by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
This is why it matters and what it means for the Iran war and the global energy crisis:
It is not clear how the Houthis would carry out a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, its northern neighbor along the Red Sea coast, or whether it would include a return to attacks on shipping.
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