Yemen's Houthis announce "maritime embargo" on Saudi Arabia
Yemen's Houthis have announced a "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia. The Iran‑backed group’s military spokesman said the ban would begin immediately as retaliation for a Saudi blockade of ports and airports in Houthi‑controlled north‑western Yemen.
While few details were provided, a Houthi media official later claimed they were closing the Bab al‑Mandab Strait—the southern gateway of the Red Sea—to Saudi vessels.
In response, Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry condemned the claim and vowed that it would "take all necessary measures to protect its ships in accordance with international law".
The embargo announcement follows a week after a flare‑up in the largely dormant Houthi–Saudi dispute. In July, the Houthis launched missiles at Abha airport in response to Saudi strikes on Sana’a airport that they blamed on the kingdom. The Saudi‑backed Yemeni government said it was preventing an Iranian plane from landing in the capital without permission.
The civil war that began in 2014—when the Houthis seized Sana’a—has since escalated, drawing in a Saudi‑led coalition. The fighting has killed more than 150,000 people and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with over 22 million people requiring aid.
Saudi‑backed forces say the blockade has imposed a comprehensive siege on Yemeni ports, airports and seaports for nearly twelve years, draining resources and impeding humanitarian aid.
The Houthi spokesman, Yahya Sarea, said the group would respond with "an eye‑for‑an‑eye" approach, declaring a maritime embargo against what he called a "criminal Saudi enemy." He promised that any escalation by the Saudis would meet a decisive counter‑action.
The Houthi leader did not elaborate on how the embargo would be enforced, though the deputy head of the Houthi media office, Nasruddin Amer, warned on X that the group was "closing Bab al‑Mandab to Saudi enemy ships".
The strategic Bab al‑Mandab Strait, 32 km wide, links the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea—a crucial link for oil trade between Saudi Arabia and global markets. It has been closed to Saudi vessels as part of the Houthi embargo, raising concerns for international shipping lanes and the global economy.
While direct attacks on Saudi‑bound vessels have stalled, the announcement alone could disrupt shipping, increase risk, and prompt major shipping companies to reroute through southern Africa, already seen during the Gaza war period.
