Yemen’s Houthis declare naval blockade of Saudi Arabia: What to know

Houthi leaders in Yemen have declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, effective immediately.

The announcement on Monday came days after the group, officially known as Ansar Allah, threatened a “siege” on the kingdom in retaliation for an attack on Sanaa International Airport last week.

The action marks a new phase in the long-running war between the Iran-aligned Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition, which has backed Yemen’s internationally -recognised government since ۲۰۱۵.

It also comes as the United States and Iran continue to exchange fire amid their escalating standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, which has again rattled the global energy market.

Here’s what you should know:

What have the Houthis announced?

In their statement, the Houthis said the declaration of the maritime embargo was “based on the equation of ‘an eye for an eye’ and affirmed “the right of our great people to respond to the blockade with a blockade” and to “all escalation with escalation”.

The group, which seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in ۲۰۱۴, accused Saudi leaders of imposing “an unjust and oppressive siege” for nearly ۱۲ years, “plundering our resources and imposing a comprehensive blockade on our ports and airports by land, sea, and air”.

The Houthis also expressed “complete readiness for all options” and warned that “any foolish” Saudi act would be met with a “comprehensive and decisive” response.

“We call upon the people of our great nation to continue the general mobilisation and general call to arms, and to be fully prepared for all scenarios and developments and to support the fronts with fighters.”

What led to this?

The announcement came days after the Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia for attacking Sanaa airport, despite Yemen’s internationally recognised government claiming responsibility, saying it was to prevent an Iranian plane from landing in the capital.

In response to the attack, the Houthis fired ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport. The Saudi-led coalition said it successfully intercepted the salvo.

That followed fighting between Houthi and government forces in Hodeidah, threatening four years of fragile calm since the signing of a temporary truce.

What is the Bab al-Mandeb Strait?

It was not immediately clear how the Houthis would implement the maritime blockade or whether it could signal a return to attacks on international shipping off the Yemeni coast.

The Houthis disrupted global commerce when they began attacking ships around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait following the launch of Israeli attacks on Gaza in ۲۰۲۳. The attacks ended with the announcement of a “ceasefire” in Gaza last October.

The Bab al-Mandeb chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden is one of the world’s most important shipping routes, including for oil exports worldwide.

Between Yemen to the northeast and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa to the southwest, the strait is just ۲۹km (۱۸ miles) wide at its narrowest point, limiting traffic to two channels for inbound and outbound vessels using the Suez Canal.

In ۲۰۲۴, about ۴.۱ billion barrels of crude oil and refined petroleum products passed through the strait – about five percent of the global total.

With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran in late February, shutting down Bab al-Mandeb as well could block ۲۵ percent of the world’s oil and gas supply.

What does this mean for Saudi Arabia?

The announcement is likely to further hamper Saudi Arabia’s crucial oil exports.

Since the US-Israel war on Iran and the subsequent blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the kingdom has sought alternative export routes.

Its East-West pipeline, or Petroline, has been the solution. Originally built in the ۱۹۸۰s, the ۱,۲۰۱km- (۷۴۶ mile-) pipeline runs from the eastern Abqaiq oil field right across the country to the western Red Sea port city of Yanbu. The pipeline pumps about seven million barrels of oil per day.

From there, oil tankers ship the oil through Bab al-Mandeb to major Asian markets and elsewhere.

Ship tracking data from Kpler and Signal Ocean showed that shipments from Yanbu averaged four million barrels per day in recent weeks, up from around ۹۷۳,۰۰۰ bpd a year earlier, according to Reuters.

Total petroleum volumes transiting Bab al-Mandeb were ۷.۴ million bpd in June, or about ۷ percent of global oil output, according to Kpler data. That is compared to ۴.۲ million bpd last year.