Posted Mon 20 Jul 2026 at 11:02pm
Mon 20 Jul 2026 at 11:02pm
, updated Mon 20 Jul 2026 at 11:31pmMon 20 Jul 2026 at 11:31pm
Houthi Military spokesperson Yahya Sarea has declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia. (Reuters: Al-Masirah TV channel)
In short:
The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia effective immediately, targeting ships carrying Saudi exports through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The Houthis claim they are acting in response to Saudi Arabia's "oppressive siege" on Yemen over the past 12 years.
The move could put even greater pressure on international energy supplies.
The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, in a move which could put even greater pressure on international energy supplies.
In a statement, the Houthis military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group would enforce the blockade against its "criminal Saudi enemy" effective immediately.
He said the Houthis were acting in response to Saudi Arabia's "oppressive siege" on Yemen over the past 12 years, and promised the rebels would respond to "any foolish act" by their neighbour to break the restrictions with force.
The war between the US, Israel and Iran sent shockwaves through energy markets given the decision by Tehran to block the Strait of Hormuz, through which around a fifth of the world's oil supplies flowed.
About a fifth of the world's oil supplies flowed through the Strait of Hormuz before Tehran blocked the passage when the war broke out. (Reuters)
While smaller Gulf states such as Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar suffered major disruption to their exports as a result, Saudi Arabia had been able to use its geography to its advantage and pump oil from its large port precincts on the Persian Gulf to facilities on the west coast.
That allowed it to send shipments out through the Red Sea instead — providing a vital lifeline for the Saudi economy and relieving some, but not all, of the pressure on global oil supplies.
The East-West pipeline, as it is known, had come under attack by Iran at the height of the war.
Blockade expected to target Saudi exports in Bab el-Mandeb Strait
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is located between Yemen and Djibouti on the Horn of Africa. (Getty Images: Gallo)
The new blockade announced by the Houthis suggested the group would target ships carrying Saudi exports transiting through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — the narrow waterway between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, acting as the gateway to the Red Sea.
It is not clear whether it will cause further disruption to shipping in the area, given the Red Sea also feeds into the Suez Canal.
Yahya Saree's post about the maritime blockade on X. (X: Yahya Saree)
The Houthis have previously attacked ships transiting through in protest over the Israel-Gaza war — a move which forced global shipping companies to take massive detours to avoid the area.
The Houthis and the Saudis have been in conflict for more than a decade, as civil war ripped Yemen apart and the Saudis formed a coalition to try to restore the Yemeni government's rule.
A truce brokered in 2022 had largely held until last week, when the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of bombing Yemen's main international airport in a bid to prevent an Iranian plane landing there.
In response, the rebels fired missiles at the Kingdom.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps had threatened to use the Houthis to block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, as fighting between the US and Iran intensified last week.
