The Iran-backed Houthis on Monday announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia, accusing Riyadh of striking Sanaa International Airport and maintaining a years-long blockade of Yemen. Military spokesman for the group Yahya Sari said in a video statement that the embargo takes effect immediately, calling it an “eye for an eye” measure. Nasruddin Amer, deputy head of the Houthi media office, clarified on the social media platform X that in response to what they call the unjust blockade of Yemenis for more than a decade, the group intends to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. However, the Houthis did not detail how they plan to enforce the maritime embargo.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is 32 kilometers wide and whose name translates from Arabic as “Gate of Tears,” is a strategic route to the Red Sea, through which about 12% of world trade typically passes. About a quarter of global container shipping travels this route to and from the Suez Canal. If the strait is closed, ships will be forced to take a route around the Cape of Good Hope, adding two to three weeks to voyages between Asia and Europe and significantly increasing shipping costs.
Threat to global shipping and energy logistics
The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, have previously attacked more than 100 ships during the Israel-Hamas war, prompting major shipping companies to suspend transit through the Red Sea. The U.S. and its allies then deployed a multinational naval mission to safeguard commercial shipping. Saudi Arabia has not yet issued an official response to the threats, but the kingdom is already under pressure as it uses its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran says was blocked after U.S. and Israeli strikes on the country on February 28.
The escalation threatens the truce in Yemen’s civil war, ongoing since 2014. The tension followed reports by the Houthis of a Saudi strike on Sanaa Airport aimed at intercepting a plane carrying group leaders returning from the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran. The plane landed at another airport, after which the rebels attacked Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia with rockets and drones. Yahya Sari emphasized that the Houthis are ready for comprehensive and decisive escalation in the event of any reckless actions by the enemy.
The group is part of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance,” which also includes Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iraqi militants. According to some members who previously spoke to journalists on condition of anonymity, despite significant drone reserves, their resources are gradually depleting, and the war in Iran is hindering further arms supplies.
Source: Euronews
