Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed missile attacks on two Saudi oil tankers on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, marking a fresh escalation in their maritime blockade. Simultaneously, President Donald Trump stated that negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz are nearing a final agreement, even as regional tensions remain high.
Houthi Attacks on Saudi Tankers Near Yanbu and Gulf of Aden
The Houthi militant group reported on Wednesday that they targeted two Saudi oil tankers, escalating their ongoing naval blockade of the kingdom. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree confirmed the group successfully targeted the Saudi oil tanker Wafa in the northern Red Sea, off the coast of Yanbu, with a number of ballistic missiles
and later launched a separate attack on the tanker Daisy in the Gulf of Aden.
These strikes represent the eighth and ninth Saudi-flagged tankers targeted since the rebels declared an official blockade on July 22, 2026. The shift in Houthi operations toward the northern Red Sea follows Saudi Arabia’s attempts to divert shipping away from the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint. According to Saree, the group intends to escalate in targeting Saudi oil tankers in the northern Red Sea to close all access points and prevent their passage
in response to the kingdom’s rerouting efforts.
While the Houthis claimed the vessel NCC Ghazal was forced to retreat after being targeted by ballistic missiles, maritime intelligence firm Windward noted that the tanker had exhibited high-risk behavior prior to the incident, including multiple destination changes and an Automatic Identification System (AIS) blackout. Saudi authorities have not provided immediate confirmation regarding the status of the vessels mentioned in the Houthi statements.
Diplomatic Progress on the Strait of Hormuz
While Red Sea shipping remains volatile, diplomatic channels between Iran and Oman have reportedly advanced toward a framework for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump indicated to reporters in California that an agreement could be finalized as early as this week. It could happen. Tomorrow or the next day,
Trump said, adding that a lot of progress has been made.
Two regional officials familiar with the discussions told the Associated Press that the emerging plan involves routing inbound vessels through an Iranian-controlled lane and outbound ships through an Omani-controlled lane, with associated service fees for security and environmental management. Although Iranian officials have publicly denied holding direct negotiations with the United States, Trump dismissed those denials as such a lie.
The prospect of a deal has influenced global energy markets, which have experienced significant fluctuations throughout the week. Brent crude prices, which had fallen by more than five percent on Tuesday, recovered slightly on Wednesday to approximately $80 per barrel as the persistence of Red Sea attacks offset some of the optimism surrounding the Hormuz talks.
Regional Logistics and Strategic Shifts
The cumulative effect of the Hormuz closure and the Red Sea blockade has forced a dramatic shift in Saudi Arabia’s crude export strategy. Data from the maritime tracker Kpler indicates that Saudi seaborne crude exports via the Bab el-Mandeb strait surged eightfold between March and mid-July 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. By June 2026, exports through that route reached nearly 100 million barrels, a sharp increase from the seven million barrels recorded in February.
To mitigate the risk to its fleet, Saudi Arabia has increasingly utilized the port of Yanbu and the SUMED pipeline to move oil toward the Mediterranean. More than half a dozen empty supertankers are currently en route to the Egyptian port of Sidi Kerir to collect Saudi crude, a maneuver intended to bypass the volatile waters of the Bab el-Mandeb.
Despite the ongoing efforts to secure maritime corridors, the security environment remains fragile. U.S. Central Command reported that the southern route of the strait remains free and open
to commercial traffic, noting that they have assisted more than 1,000 vessels during the current period of instability. However, the combination of Houthi missile claims and the broader conflict between U.S. and Iranian forces leaves the future of regional energy shipments uncertain, with markets watching closely for the formalization of the proposed transit mechanisms.
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