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A military source at the Houthi-run Ministry of Defense in Sanaa told Saba news agency on July 21 that six vessels have reversed course in the past 24 hours following a warning from the Houthis.
The reversals came as the group’s naval blockade on Saudi Arabia — announced a day earlier under its so-called “siege-for-siege” policy — entered into effect.
The source said the blockade is already showing results, pointing to a pullback of Saudi oil tankers and growing difficulty navigating the Red Sea.
Earlier in the day, Reuters reported that two tankers loaded with Saudi crude for China and India made U-turns in the Red Sea and were heading toward the Suez Canal, following a warning issued by the Houthis.
Separately, international media reported that oil prices rose to $91 a barrel amid the blockade imposed by the Houthis on Saudi ports.
CBS News also warned in a report that a full closure of the Bab al-Mandab Strait could cut global oil supply by 7 percent, at a time when markets are already strained by reduced supply linked to the fallout of the war between the United States and Iran.
The strait — a narrow 20-nautical-mile chokepoint between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula — is also vital for container shipping between Asia and Europe, which makes it one of the planet’s most strategically volatile maritime corridors.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg said the Houthis’ announcement of a naval blockade on Saudi shipping adds a new element to the string of risks threatening oil flows from the region, amid the near-total halt of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — a passage that carried roughly a fifth of global oil exports before the war began.
The news agency added that any disruption to supply flows through the Red Sea would compound the war’s impact on international oil trade, particularly as Saudi Arabia has come to rely primarily on this route to export most of its crude oil, after shifting exports to the port of Yanbu following the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The Houthis said the decision to impose a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia is a response to the kingdom’s blockade on Yemen.
The Saudi-led coalition warned that it would respond “firmly and forcefully” to recent threats by the group. In addition, the chairman of Yemen’s internationally recognized Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, said “the time has come to end the suffering caused by the terrorist Houthi militia.”
War in Yemen could resume the moment the Houthis use force to enforce the blockade on Saudi Arabia. This could happen within a few days, or even hours.
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glória e poder ao houthíes! força, fogo e raio!💪💪💪🔥🔥🔥⚡⚡⚡
tem que sangrar e asfixiar e matar economicamente a arábia saudita até mohammad bin salman e seu chanceler arrogante serem derrubados do poder. abaixo a monarquia saudita.