Houthi Strikes on Saudi Oil Tankers Escalate Middle East Maritime Tensions
Maritime security in the Middle East has deteriorated further amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict, with disruptions spreading beyond the Strait of Hormuz to the Red Sea.
The Houthi group in Yemen claimed responsibility for targeting two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea on Thursday, citing their recently announced maritime restrictions. The vessels, identified as Encelia and Layla, allegedly carried ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones, which set both vessels ablaze.
Saudi Arabia has not commented on the Houthi claim, but the UK Maritime Trade Operations confirmed an incident involving a tanker about 130 kilometers southwest of the Saudi port of Al Shuqaiq. The vessel's master reported being struck by an unknown projectile, causing a fire that the crew tried to extinguish.
The developments came as US President Donald Trump vowed to bomb Iranian infrastructure whenever Tehran targets a ship in the critical waterway, and as the US and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement to cooperate on developing a civilian nuclear program in the kingdom.