Yemen’s Houthis Attack Saudi Oil Tankers in Red Sea, Pushing Oil Above $100: 19 Sources (Western Mainstream: 7) | NewsCord
Red Sea attacks, oil spike
U.S. President Donald Trump responded in a Truth Social post by saying, “If they do this again, the U.S. will hold Iran responsible,” framing the Houthis as a surrogate or proxy of Iran.
The Guardian reported that the benchmark oil price rose sharply on Thursday, from $95 the day before, as fears grew that Yemen’s Houthi militia could strangle Saudi oil exports through the Red Sea.
The Guardian also said the Houthi militias claimed responsibility for attacks on two Saudi Arabian oil tankers, the Encelia and Layla, using “a number of ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones.”
In parallel, the ABC News & Headlines report said oil prices tipped back over $US100 a barrel for the first time in two months as concerns about what a Houthi blockade could mean for oil shipments in the Red Sea intensified.
Trump, Rubio, and Iran trade threats
Trump also threatened “major military punishment” for Iran and its Houthi allies after the Yemeni fighters struck the two Saudi tankers, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a diplomatic gathering in Southeast Asia that the price Iran pays “will get higher every night” until Tehran is ready for a peace deal.
The Anchorage Daily News reported that Trump threatened “major military punishment” against the Houthis if their attacks on ships continue, and quoted his warning that “the Houthis are a Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran.”
The same Anchorage Daily News account said the Jordanian army reported Iran fired four missiles and six drones at the kingdom, triggering air defence systems, as the report described the wider Middle East alert.
ABC News & Headlines added that Iranian state media later reported sounds of explosions on Qeshm Island, located in the Strait of Hormuz, as the conflict widened across the Persian Gulf.
What’s at stake next
The Guardian cited Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, saying there was “no room for complacency” amid the escalation in hostilities, and it linked the oil shock to rising government borrowing costs as investors weighed inflation risks.
An Anadolu Ajansı report said the surge came after the Houthi movement claimed missile- and drone-attacks against two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, and it said several ships avoided the Bab el-Mandeb Strait after warnings from the Houthis.
Anadolu Ajansı also reported that the daily number of ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz had fallen to 15, from around 130 before the conflict, according to data from Kpler, underscoring how the two chokepoints were both under pressure.
Ouest-France reported that the risk of blocking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is an additional upward factor for oil prices, and it said maritime traffic through the Red Sea has become crucial for Saudi Arabia as the kingdom increased crude exports via Yanbu port to bypass Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.