The Houthis have threatened to attack any ships that enter Saudi Arabian ports

Yemeni Houthi rebels have issued a warning to shipowners demanding that they refrain from calling at Saudi Arabian ports, according to Bloomberg. This sheds light on the scale of the threat to oil exports along a route that has become a key alternative to the blocked Strait of Hormuz, the agency notes. It was precisely this route—from the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait—that allowed the kingdom to maintain shipments of millions of barrels throughout the Iranian crisis.

The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have stated that the naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, announced the day before, applies not only to Saudi vessels but also to any ships traveling to or from the country’s ports, Bloomberg reports, citing a letter from the rebels sent to commercial shipping operators.

“We strongly urge your company to exercise due diligence and the utmost caution in all its operations, and to ensure that no voyages are made to Saudi ports. Any such activity will subject the vessels that violate these rules to sanctions. Furthermore, they may become targets for attack at any location within the range of the Yemeni Armed Forces,” the Houthis’ email states.

The Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia announced on Monday that it had launched operations to protect ships in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The country’s Ministry of Energy did not respond to a request from Bloomberg for comment on the new threat from the Houthis.

On Tuesday, July 21, prices for Brent crude oil once again surpassed the $90-per-barrel mark, rising by nearly 2%. The price of futures for the North American WTI Mark nearly reached $85 per barrel.

Some Asian buyers—who are the main importers of Saudi oil—continue to send tankers to the Red Sea to load crude, despite threats from the Houthis, according to Bloomberg. However, at least one tanker has suspended its voyage before passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, shipowners told the agency.

Negotiations between Asian refiners and the state-owned company Saudi Aramco are ongoing, and some of the refiners have received verbal assurances from Aramco that trading operations can proceed as usual, according to Bloomberg sources. Aramco declined to comment.

The search for new alternatives is already underway. At least one South Korean refiner purchased a shipment of U.S. oil late Monday evening, July 20—following the Houthi threat. At the same time, demand has risen for Murban crude from Abu Dhabi and Oman: both are shipped outside the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, Bloomberg notes.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor