Houthi Rebels Claim Attack on Saudi Oil Tankers in Red Sea

The U.S. military launched the 13th night of airstrikes against Iran, targeting key military and commercial sites as regional clashes escalated over vital shipping routes, according to U.S. Central Command. The military action followed a claim by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels that they struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, a development that pushed international Brent crude oil past $100 a barrel, according to market data.

Strait of Hormuz Strikes and Regional Military Escalation

U.S. Central Command stated that the latest nighttime barrage aimed to degrade Iran’s capacity to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters. The U.S. campaign seeks to regain control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas moved during peacetime. Iranian state media reported explosions shortly after the attacks in the port city of Bandar Abbas, a crucial hub for military supplies and trade cargo where two people were reportedly injured.

Additional blasts occurred on Qeshm Island, which houses naval assets such as drone boats capable of targeting vessels in the strait. According to Iranian state media, strikes also hit near Andimeshk, Omidiyeh, and Firuzabad, while a U.S. missile attack on the outskirts of Ahvaz along the Karun River killed four people and wounded five. The renewed U.S. airstrikes, which began on June 27, have resulted in 55 deaths and 629 injuries, according to figures released by Iran’s health ministry.

Houthi Red Sea Attacks and Shipping Disruptions

Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for striking two tankers, the Encelia and the Layla, in the Red Sea, resulting in fires on both vessels, according to the group’s SABA news agency. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center reported receiving a report of a tanker being struck by an unknown projectile 130 kilometers southwest of Al Shuqaiq, Saudi Arabia. The state-run Saudi Press Agency confirmed that an attack set the Encelia ablaze overnight, though it did not mention the Layla.

Maritime data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence described the Houthi actions as a “double whammy” compounding the ongoing disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. Because the war has bottled up the Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia has diverted millions of barrels of oil daily to its Yanbu port on the Red Sea via an overland pipeline. Lloyd’s noted that the Houthi threats to blockade Saudi-linked shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait raise questions regarding the viability of that overland export route.

Economic Fallout and Diplomatic Efforts

The intensifying conflict drove international Brent crude up more than 6% to about $100 a barrel, reaching its highest level since May, before a preliminary peace agreement collapsed last month. Amid the rising economic pressure, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi traveled to Tehran to meet with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, calling for peace and dialogue while promising that Iraqi territory would not serve as a staging ground for attacks against Iran, according to his office.

Political friction also mounted over financial assets. President Donald Trump announced on social media that sanctioned Iranian funds currently held by the United States would cover the expenses of repairing damaged ships, calling the move “the fair and equitable thing to do.” Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi rejected the proposal as an incendiary precedent, warning on social media that if governments normalize asset confiscation, no one’s assets remain safe.

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