The Yemeni Houthi rebels claimed an attack on two oil tankers from Saudi Arabia on Thursday as part of a special military operation, further escalating recently heightened tensions between the terrorist group and the Saudi-backed anti-Houthi coalition.
The strikes on the vessels in the Red Sea from the Iran-backed terrorist group threaten to deepen the Iran war throughout the Middle East, by dangling a possible new front in the conflict between the Yemeni and Saudi groups, as their delicate peace from a 2022 ceasefire hangs on by a thread. The morning of the Houthi attack, already-rising oil prices — in part from the spread of Iranian airstrikes to other countries in the Middle East in July — took another jump.
HOUTHIS DECLARE NAVAL BLOCKADE OF SAUDI ARABIA, ESCALATING CRISIS
(Graphic by Grace Hagerman / Washington Examiner)
" data-large-file="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/FINAL-RED-SEA.png?w=696" height="684" width="1024" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/FINAL-RED-SEA.png?w=696" alt="Red Sea" class="wp-image-4509668" srcset="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/FINAL-RED-SEA.png 4267w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/FINAL-RED-SEA.png?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/FINAL-RED-SEA.png?resize=768,513 768w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/FINAL-RED-SEA.png?resize=1024,684 1024w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/FINAL-RED-SEA.png?resize=1536,1026 1536w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/FINAL-RED-SEA.png?resize=2048,1368 2048w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/FINAL-RED-SEA.png?resize=150,100 150w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/FINAL-RED-SEA.png?resize=696,465 696w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/FINAL-RED-SEA.png?resize=1068,714 1068w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/FINAL-RED-SEA.png?resize=1920,1283 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px">
(Graphic by Grace Hagerman / Washington Examiner)
WTI Crude prices jumped to $90 per barrel from $84.91 before the Houthis attacked one of the largest oil-producing countries in the world. One week ago, prices sat around $80 per barrel, already spiked from the lower prices the energy markets had seen after the signing of the memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States.
President Donald Trump blamed Iran for the Houthi attacks and referenced his administration’s earlier bombing campaign against the Yemeni terrorist group.
“A year ago the United States of America attacked, very powerfully, the Houthis, for their interference with commerce and trade, by shooting at ships. Since that time, and during our conflict with Iran, they have acted very responsibly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Unfortunately, now they are starting up again, shooting at two Saudi Arabian ships last night. Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if they do this again, the U.S. will hold Iran responsible, in that the Houthis are a Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran, and major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis, themselves.”
This is not the first move as part of the war for the Yemeni Iranian proxy group, however. The group made its first move of the war in late March, when it claimed a missile attack on Israel before any ceasefires or MOUs were inked.
But since the ceasefire crumbled between Iran and the U.S., the Houthis have been back on the map, declaring a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia on Monday after either Saudi or anti-Houthi Yemeni air forces bombed a Yemeni Airport to prevent a Houthi group from landing after a visit to Iran.
The Houthis hit these two vessels on Monday as their first attack since the declaration of the blockade. Yahya Saree, Houthi spokesman, said the group targeted the “ENCELIA” and “LAYLA” vessels, each of which was recently reported as passing through the Red Sea on its way to Saudi ports, but not reported within the past 24 hours, according to Vessel Finder.
The attack could threaten to entrench the Iran war deeper into the Middle East at a time when the U.S. and the Islamic regime have delved back into a series of consecutive attacks. The U.S. Central Command announced its 12th straight night of airstrikes in Iran on Wednesday evening as it attempts to weaken Iranian threats against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump announced on Wednesday that the U.S. would destroy Iranian bridges or power plants in exchange for each strike on a commercial ship.
“From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
IRAN STILL HAS A CARD TO PLAY — AND IT’S AIMED AT THE RED SEA
Both Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio made comments on Wednesday and Thursday, insisting that Iranian leadership is not ready to make a permanent peace deal.
“The price will continue to get higher every single night until they come to their senses,” Rubio said.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
