THE NEW YORK TIMES: The move against Saudi ships will add new pressure on energy markets. Tehran said it had received new proposals from mediators.
The Houthis, the Iran-backed armed faction in Yemen, said they would impose a blockade on Saudi ships, threatening to open a new front in the Middle East conflict and raising the pressure on volatile global energy markets.
The announcement was made as many in the region were tensely watching to see if the rounds of bombardment between U.S. and Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf would continue to escalate. The two countries traded new attacks on Monday, with Iran targeting countries that host U.S. military bases, despite efforts by mediators to calm tensions.
The latest hostilities initially focused on the Strait of Hormuz, but they have expanded into a cycle of attacks and counterattacks that have killed at least three American service members since Friday, hit Arab states across the Persian Gulf and damaged critical infrastructure in Iran and U.S.-allied Kuwait.
Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz has reduced global fuel supplies, pushing prices upward, but Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally, has been able to reroute some of its exports through the Red Sea. If the Houthis follow through on their statement that they will not allow Saudi vessels to pass through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the southern portal to the Red Sea, it would worsen the global fuel crisis. Iran War Live Updates » | Aaron Boxerman, Ismaeel Naar, Sanam Mahoozi and Yan Zhuang | Monday, July 20, 2026
The master of the 'Art of the Deal' has got himself into a real fix with this illegitimate and unnecessary Iran War, hasn't he? He's in a fix, and so is the global economy. — © Mark Alexander
Democracy is an illusion! It’s become a political system fostered by the élite, for the élite, in order to fool the people that they have a stake in the system. In actual fact, they have virtually none. The whole political system in the modern era, despite having noble beginnings, is now used to benefit the few at the expense of the many. – Mark Alexander, June 29, 2018
Showing posts with label Bab el-Mandeb. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bab el-Mandeb. Show all posts
July 20, 2026
July 16, 2026
Iran Threatens to Shut Crucial Red Sea Energy Route | DW News
Jul 15, 2026 | Tehran has warned that, if Washington's naval blockade continues, it could use its Houthi allies in Yemen to shut the Bab el-Mandeb gateway to the Red Sea.
The narrow waterway links it to the Gulf of Aden. If both that and the Strait of Hormuz were to be shut simultaneously, it could cripple global trade in ways this war has, so far, not seen.
The narrow waterway links it to the Gulf of Aden. If both that and the Strait of Hormuz were to be shut simultaneously, it could cripple global trade in ways this war has, so far, not seen.
Labels:
Bab el-Mandeb,
Iran
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