Houthis Issue Red Sea Blockade Threats Amid Saudi Strikes, While Iran Expands Maritime and Regional Pressure
The Houthi movement warned Saudi-linked vessels to avoid the Red Sea after recent Saudi airstrikes, and Iran intensified attacks on shipping routes and regional infrastructure, raising costs for Saudi Arabia and pressure on the United States.
The Houthi movement announced radio warnings on July 20 and 21 urging Saudi-owned ships to avoid transiting the Red Sea and emailed shipping companies the same day to refrain from loading or unloading cargo at Saudi ports. The alerts prompted at least three vessels to turn back rather than pass the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, though no attacks on ships have been reported so far. Analysts say the blockade aims to deter further Saudi strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen and to increase shipping costs that affect Saudi Arabia directly.
Iran continues to enforce its claim over the Strait of Hormuz, rejecting alternative routes such as the southern Omani channel. Deputy Secretary for International Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani described the strait as Iran’s “decisive leverage” on July 21, emphasizing the need to convert military strength into political gains. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization reported that unknown projectiles struck two vessels near Oman and the United Arab Emirates on July 20, damaging one ship’s steering gear and forcing the crew of a second vessel, identified as the Kuwaiti tanker Kaifan, to abandon ship. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for attacks on two tankers that attempted to use the southern route.
In parallel, Iran has stepped up attacks on U.S. bases and personnel across the region. The Wall Street Journal reported three ballistic missile strikes on Jordan’s Muwaffaq al-Salti Air Base on July 17-18, killing two U.S. service members and damaging aircraft and housing. Additional strikes were reported on King Faisal Air Base and another Jordanian airfield, with damage to U.S. Army helicopters. Iran also targeted power-generation and water-desalination facilities in Kuwait for a fourth consecutive day, disabling several generators, and a drone strike hit the al-Zour power plant, according to local reports.
These actions are intended to raise the economic and civilian costs for Gulf states that host U.S. forces, thereby increasing pressure on those governments to limit American military activity. The broader strategy aligns Houthi and Iranian interests in disrupting maritime traffic through both the Bab al-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz, amplifying the impact on global shipping and oil markets.