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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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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.
·Ultimo, Australia
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Asian refiners are considering rerouting crude oil shipments from the Saudi port of Yanbu via the Suez Canal.
·Belgrade, Serbia
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Total News Sources60
Leaning Left10Leaning Right13Center15Last UpdatedBias Distribution40% Center
Bias Distribution
- 40% of the sources are Center
40% Center
L 26%
C 40%
R 34%
Factuality
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