The Houthi rebel group in Yemen has escalated tensions in the region by targeting tankers in the Red Sea, threatening to turn the Iran war into a regional conflict.
The Houthis have imposed a naval blockade on the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the gateway between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden near Saudi Arabia's western coastline, which could reduce global oil supply by 7% if Saudi oil exports to Asia are stopped.
The Houthis' armed forces described the blockade as "a maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy, based on the equation of 'an eye for an eye'," effective immediately.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres' spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, warned that the blockade risks an "even wider" regional conflict, citing the Houthis' renewed threats against Saudi Arabia and freedom of navigation.
President Trump responded to the Houthis' threat by saying, "We'll have to see what happens," and noting that no attacks had taken place, adding, "If something like that happens, we take care of it." He pointed to past actions taken against the Houthis, including Operation Rough Rider in Spring 2025, when they targeted shipping in the Red Sea.
The Houthis have now taken credit for an attack on one tanker off the Saudi coast and claimed to have targeted another, with the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Centre reporting that a tanker was hit by an "unknown projectile" off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, causing an onboard fire.
The apparent strike poses further problems for the shipping industry, which is already struggling with Iranian threats to attack unapproved ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the world's oceans.
President Trump has issued new warnings against Iran, threatening to hit one power plant or bridge for every ship they hit in the Strait of Hormuz after Iran attacked another tanker near the coast of Oman on Tuesday.
Iran has threatened to retaliate against attacks on its infrastructure by targeting a "powerful and decisive response" against infrastructure and US interests across the region.
