Red Sea Crisis: Yemen's Houthis Impose Blockade on Saudi Arabia | WPN World People News

Yemen's Houthi movement announced on the 20th that it would impose a maritime embargo and blockade on Saudi Arabia, citing the principle of "an eye for an eye." The move could expand the ongoing energy and trade crisis from the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, potentially opening a new front in the conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran.

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen stated that it would respond with military force and has already begun protecting vessels transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. With shipping through the Strait of Hormuz facing disruptions, the Bab el-Mandeb has become a critical route for Saudi oil exports.

The U.S. Department of Defense confirmed that a recent Iranian attack on a U.S. military base in Jordan resulted in the deaths of two American service members, while one remains missing (human remains have been recovered and are awaiting identification). In a separate incident, another U.S. service member was killed in Iraq during an operation to detonate an unexploded drone munition.

Although mediators have presented proposals to Iran and there are still signs of diplomatic engagement between Washington and Tehran, the Houthis have proceeded with the blockade. The announcement briefly pushed international oil prices higher, while maritime insurance premiums for shipping through the Red Sea also rose amid heightened security risks.

Iran had previously warned that it would close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait if U.S. forces attacked its energy infrastructure. Should the strait be fully blocked, global oil supplies could decline by approximately 7%, with most Saudi oil exports unable to reach international markets, further intensifying the impact of regional conflict on global energy transportation. At present, global oil shipments have already declined by around 10% due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.