Saudi opposes Houthi blockade: How will the rest of the world be affected? | | Articles of Controversy

Saudi Arabia on Monday slammed claims by Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthis that Riyadh is encircling Yemenis, after the group announced it would launch blockade at sea in Saudi Arabia.

Between the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz during the US-Israel War on IranSaudi Arabia is trying to make the oil flow better other ways across the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Now that route is under threat from the Houthis.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it would take “all necessary measures” to protect its ships.

The Houthis have a history of disrupting traffic in the Red Sea. Here is a closer look at the blockade and its potential impact beyond Saudi Arabia.

What’s the latest on the blockade?

The Houthis said on Monday that they would impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, opening a new line of attack against the US in its war with Iran and increasing threats to global energy supplies and trade through the Gulf.

In their statement, the Houthis said that the announcement of the naval embargo “resulted in the equality of ‘an eye for an eye'” and confirmed “the right of our great people to respond to the blockade and blockade” and “every rise is a rise”.

The Houthis also expressed “full readiness for all options” and warned that “any stupidity” by the Saudis would be answered “completely and decisively”.

“We are calling on the people of our great nation to continue to mobilize all people and call to arms, and organize all events and activities and support the veterans,” the group said.

It was not immediately clear how the Houthis would use the naval blockade or if it would indicate a return to international naval attacks from the Yemeni coast.

The Houthis disrupted international trade when they started attack ships around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait following the launch of the Israeli war on Gaza in October 2023. The attacks ended with the announcement of a “ceasefire” in Gaza in October 2025.

The Bab al-Mandeb chokepoint that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden is one of the most important shipping routes, including the world’s oil shipments.

Between Yemen in the northeast and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa in the southwest, the road is 29km (18 miles) wide at its narrowest point, reducing the volume of two canals for ships entering and leaving using the Suez Canal.

In 2024, about 4.1 billion barrels of crude and refined oil passed through the river – about 5 percent of the global total.

The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed since Israel and the United States launched their war on Iran at the end of February, closing the Bab al-Mandeb and potentially blocking 25 percent of the world’s oil and gas.

What is the story?

The Houthis, who seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014, accused the Saudi leaders of creating an “unjust and oppressive siege” for almost 12 years, “destroying our economy and blocking our ports and airports by land, sea, and air”.

Yemen has been wracked by civil war for more than a decade since the Houthis seized the capital, prompting the Saudi military to intervene in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.

The war has turned into one of the world’s deadliest crises, leaving the country divided between the Saudi-backed and internationally recognized government in Aden and the Houthi-controlled government in Sanaa.

Cargo ships and other vessels have regularly arrived at the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah, including in recent weeks, delivering food, fuel and other goods, according to dispatches.

What’s the latest on the Saudi-Houthi spat?

The announcement came days after the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of attacking Sanaa airport, despite Yemen’s internationally recognized government saying it was involved, saying it was preventing an Iranian plane from reaching the capital.

In response, the Houthis launched a missile attack on Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport, which the Saudi-led coalition said was successful. This followed fighting between the Houthis and government forces in Hodeidah, threatening four years of fragile peace since the temporary signing.

“The Houthis and the Saudis, unfortunately, have not been able to end their war. And it has gone south very quickly. And apparently it led to this, this closure being announced,” Michael Stephens, senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies, told Al Jazeera.

“But of course, it should be seen in the context of everything that is happening on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula, and the renewed war in the Gulf between Iran and the US.”

How will this affect Saudi Arabia?

The announcement is also expected to curb the export of essential oil to Saudi Arabia.

The East-West Pipelinealso known as Petroline, is operated by the oil giant Saudi Aramco. Aramco is one of the largest oil companies in the world, with a market capitalization of more than $1.7 trillion and annual revenues of $480bn. The oil giant controls 12 percent of the world’s oil production capacity of more than 12 million barrels per day (bpd).

The 1,200km (745-mile) pipeline runs from the Abqaiq oil field near the Gulf of Saudi Arabia to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea on the other side of the country.

From there, tankers send the oil through Bab al-Mandeb to major markets in Asia and elsewhere.

Ship tracking data from Kpler and Signal Ocean showed shipments from Yanbu totaled 4 million barrels per day in recent weeks, up from about 973,000 bpd a year earlier, according to Reuters.

Total oil passing through the Bab al-Mandeb was 7.4 million bpd in June, or about 7 percent of the world’s oil, according to Kpler data. This compares to 4.2 million bpd last year.

How will the rest of the world be affected?

In 2024, Saudi Arabia will export $187bn of crude oil, making it the world’s largest exporter of crude oil, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC).

In that year, China imported 25.6 percent of this crude oil, while South Korea imported 15.8 percent, Japan imported 15.4 percent, and India took 10.5 percent.

Since China and India are the biggest buyers of Saudi crude, their refiners are dependent on steady Saudi volumes – all of which come through Bab al-Mandeb. The recession means higher import prices, greater reliance on surface goods, and lower domestic and industrial fuel prices.

India has also emerged as a major source of Asian crude oil exports to Europe, so any disruption to Saudi or Gulf shipping could raise the price of oil exported to European markets.

Stephens said the shutdown would be “extremely damaging” to the oil economy.

“Really, what you’re doing is locking up a lot of oil” from one of the world’s largest exporters, he said. “And that could have a very negative impact on the oil market.”

“If you’re (US President) Donald Trump and you want to see oil drop below $70 a barrel, it’s not going to happen,” Stephens added.

Oil prices rose on Tuesday, with Brent crude futures at $89.70 a barrel by 09:50 GMT. Before the US-Israel war in Iran, Brent crude futures averaged $70 per barrel. Following the outbreak of the dispute, prices rose to $126 per barrel.

“It will lead to lower prices in Western countries, and in Asian countries,” Stephens said. “It will cause a lot of problems in reducing oil reserves in an economy that is already struggling because it has been closed for five, six months of the Strait of Hormuz.”