Even Saudi Oil Detour at Risk as Yemeni Houthi Rebels Declare Maritime Blockade on Saudi Arabia
Retaliation for Sana'a Airport Bombing
Rising Risk of Red Sea Access Blockade
On July 20 (local time), Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels declared a surprise maritime blockade targeting Saudi Arabia.
New Yemeni Houthi recruits in front of the Palestinian flag. Sana'a=EPA Yonhap News
View original imageAccording to Yonhap News Agency, Yahya Saree, spokesperson for the Houthi rebels, announced, “In accordance with the principle of ‘an eye for an eye,’ we declare a maritime blockade against the Saudi adversaries, who are criminal states. This blockade takes immediate effect.”
This measure is in retaliation for Saudi Arabia’s bombing of Sana’a airport, which is under Houthi control, on July 13. The rebels have already attacked airports within Saudi Arabia and declared the end of the ceasefire.
With this declaration, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait—the gateway to the Red Sea—is now at risk of complete closure, following the Strait of Hormuz through which 20% of the world’s energy shipments pass.
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If the Houthi rebels block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, even Saudi Arabia’s oil export route from Yanbu Port on the Red Sea—a route it has used as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz—will be completely severed. This could negatively impact the global crude oil market.
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