Jizan, Saudi Arabia. U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Iran and its Houthi allies with “major military punishment” after the Yemeni fighters said they had struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, widening disruptions to a second major shipping chokepoint.
The reported attacks came as Brent crude rose more than 6%, surpassing $100 a barrel for the first time since May.
Tankers reportedly targeted
The Houthis said their forces used missiles and drones to strike the Saudi oil tankers Encelia and Layla. The group, which controls northern and western Yemen, said this week it was imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia.
A maritime security source said the Encelia sent a distress call reporting that it had been hit by a missile near Jizan, just north of Yemen, late on Wednesday. Saudi state news agency SPA said the strike caused a fire at the vessel’s bow.
Reuters could not immediately confirm an attack on the Layla, although Trump referred to two attacks on Saudi tankers.
U.S. warning to Iran
Trump said Iran would be held accountable for further Houthi attacks, describing the group as a surrogate or proxy of Tehran.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Saudi Arabia has diverted millions of barrels of oil a day by pipeline to the Red Sea to avoid Iran’s blockade of Gulf oil through the Strait of Hormuz.
Military escalation and diplomacy
Two weeks after the effective collapse of an interim truce intended to end the war, the U.S. military launched another nightly round of air strikes on Iran. Iran responded by firing at neighbouring Arab countries hosting U.S. bases.
Speaking at a diplomatic gathering in Southeast Asia, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the price Iran pays “will get higher every night” until Tehran accepts and upholds a peace deal.
“Iran is begging (for a deal) every day,” Rubio said. “The problem with Iran is every time they make a deal … they either break it or they want to change it.”
