Houthis claim missile strike on Saudi tanker off Yanbu

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement claimed Wednesday that it struck the Saudi oil tanker Wafa with ballistic missiles in the northern Red Sea off the coast of Yanbu, marking the eighth vessel targeted since the group declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia on July 22.aa+1

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree announced the attack in a video statement, saying the group's forces "successfully targeted the Saudi oil tanker 'Wafa' in the northern Red Sea, off the coast of Yanbu, with a number of ballistic missiles". Saudi officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to Reuters. There was no independent confirmation of damage or casualties.reuters+2

Escalating Blockade

Saree warned that operations would "continue and escalate in targeting Saudi oil tankers in the northern Red Sea to close all access points and prevent their passage, thus establishing a blockade-for-blockade equation, regardless of the consequences". The Houthis also claimed to have forced 29 vessels to turn around and change course in the Red and Arabian Seas since the blockade began.timesofisrael+1

The campaign follows a series of escalatory exchanges between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia triggered by the bombing of Sanaa International Airport in July, which prevented the landing of an Iranian plane carrying a Houthi delegation. The Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia for the strike and announced retaliatory measures based on "a blockade for a blockade".thenewregion

Rerouting and Economic Pressure

The Houthi campaign is already disrupting Saudi oil logistics. Ship tracking data released Monday showed six Saudi-flagged supertankers — each capable of carrying two million barrels — turning away from the Gulf of Aden toward southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea, adding roughly 25 days to transit times. Maritime security firms LSEG and MarineTraffic confirmed the vessels switched their destinations to southern African ports including Durban and Port Elizabeth.breitbart

Yanbu has become Saudi Arabia's primary crude export port after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, handling over 70 percent of Saudi crude exports via the East-West Pipeline. Aramco CEO Amin Nasser told investors the company is exploring expanded pipeline capacity and alternative export routes, though he declined to comment directly on Houthi threats.jfeed+2

The Houthi maritime campaign has created parallel chokepoints on global energy supplies, compounding the disruption caused by Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz and raising the prospect of sustained pressure on Saudi Arabia's ability to function as a global oil supplier.jfeed