Yemen’s Houthi group on Monday announced a maritime ban on Saudi shipping, marking a significant escalation and raising concerns over security of navigation in the Red Sea and nearby shipping lanes.
In a statement aired by the group’s Al-Masirah television, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the decision took effect immediately following the announcement, without specifying how and where the ban would be enforced.
He said the move, based on what he described as the principle of “blockade for blockade,” was in response to Saudi Arabia’s “siege for nearly 12 years” through a “blockade on ports and airports.”
Citing a recent attack on the Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport, the spokesman said the group “has the right” to respond through “all available means.”
The move marks one of the strongest measures announced by the Houthis since tensions intensified last week following strikes, claimed by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, on Sanaa International Airport, barring an Iranian aircraft carrying a senior Houthi delegation from landing. The delegation was returning from Tehran after attending the funeral ceremonies of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The Houthis blamed the attack on Riyadh and responded by launching missiles and drones. Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi warned that Saudi oil installations and other strategic infrastructure could become targets if Riyadh becomes involved in broader military operations against the group.
Saudi Arabia vows to protect vessels
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen responded to the shipping ban on Monday night, saying that it would take necessary measures to protect its commercial vessels in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and react firmly to any threats.
Coalition spokesperson Turki Al-Malki said in a statement on social media platform X that the Joint Forces Command of the coalition is taking all necessary and decisive operational measures in line with international law to protect coalition vessels passing through the strait.
He dismissed the Houthi maritime ban as “fallacies and escalation,” saying more than 300 commercial vessels had entered Houthi-controlled ports in the first half of this year, carrying food and fuel, among others.
In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry condemned Houthi allegations of a blockade, saying the kingdom has worked to ease Yemenis’ suffering through development projects and budget support.
Shipping risks in the Red Sea mount
Although the Houthis did not specify how the maritime ban would be enforced, analysts warned that the move could further escalate tensions with Saudi Arabia and increase risks to commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, lies within the strike range of Houthi forces. Since the outbreak of the latest Israel-Hamas conflict in late 2023, the group has repeatedly attacked vessels it said were linked to Israel in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, prompting many shipping companies to reroute vessels around the Cape of Good Hope.
The Houthis do not need to sink large numbers of ships or impose a complete blockade to disrupt maritime trade, said Petras Katinas, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute. “A handful of strikes, or even credible threats, are enough to push insurers to halt coverage and hike war-risk premiums, forcing many operators to reroute vessels around the Cape of Good Hope,” he added, citing the similar disruptions in the past.
The latest warning comes as the strategic importance of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has grown amid continued disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Increasing volumes of Middle Eastern crude have been rerouted through the Red Sea as exporters seek alternatives to the Gulf route.
According to energy analytics firm Kpler, oil shipments transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait averaged 7.4 million barrels per day in June, up from 4.2 million barrels per day a year earlier. Analysts warned that any disruption to the waterway could threaten one of the few remaining alternative export routes for Gulf energy supplies.
“The Red Sea is no longer just a conventional trade route linking Europe and Asia,” Katinas said. “It has become one of the principal alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz.”
Saudi Arabia faces growing export risks
Saudi Arabia would likely be among the countries most affected by any disruption to the Bab el-Mandeb route.
Following disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Aramco has increasingly relied on the kingdom’s East-West pipeline to transport crude from oil fields in the Gulf to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, allowing exports to bypass Hormuz.
Kpler estimates that Saudi Arabia has exported more than 3.6 million barrels per day of crude oil and refined products via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in recent months.
Saudi Aramco Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan recently described the Red Sea export route as an economic lifeline for the kingdom.
Farea Al-Muslimi, a Middle East and North Africa expert at Chatham House, said Saudi Arabia’s ability to mitigate risks stemming from disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz has depended largely on access to the Red Sea route.
“If shipping through the Red Sea is also disrupted, Saudi Arabia would face much greater pressure,” he said. “That would not only further strain government revenues but could also complicate the kingdom’s efforts to achieve its Vision 2030 goals and host major international events.”
