Iran's ally threatens to widen war in Middle East

By Alison Xiao

Topic: War

Wednesday, 22 July 2026, 1:41 pm

Houthi military police were at a pro-Iran demonstration in Yemen in April.

They are one of Iran's allies.

The Houthi rebels have threatened to widen the conflict in the Middle East by declaring a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia.

The Iran-backed group promised to target ships carrying Saudi Arabian exports through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The Houthi military spokesperson said they were targeting their 'criminal Saudi enemy'.

But analysts say the move is a clear sign of Iranian intervention.

Experts warned the blockade could escalate the conflict.

A maritime law expert said the Iranians are not crazy and the Houthis are the 'merchants of chaos'.

The conflict could spread to the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb, and the Gulf of Aden.

The move could put more pressure on the global energy market.

Who are the Houthis in Yemen and why are they declaring this blockade now?

Who are the Houthi rebels?

The Houthi movement is a Shia Islamist group that started in northern Yemen in the 1990s.

The rebel group seized the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, in 2014, starting a civil war.

The Houthis control about a third of Yemen's land but govern most of the population.

Iran supports the Houthis as part of its 'Axis of Resistance'.

Iran's 'Axis of Resistance' includes Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Iran has provided the Houthis with weapons, training, and financial support.

The Houthis and the Saudis have been in conflict for over a decade.

The two parties had a truce in 2022, but the latest blockade could end it.

The Houthi military spokesperson said the move was in response to Saudi Arabia's 'oppressive siege' on Yemen.

Analysts say the move is a sign of Iranian intervention.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea announced the Saudi maritime blockade.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had signalled they could use the Houthis to block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

A Yemen expert said the new blockade shows Iran is desperate and hurting.

The Houthis likely have several motivations, including advancing their own interests in Yemen.

The creation of a new maritime pressure point is a chance for the Houthis to be a 'good friend' to Iran.

Other analysts warned that targeting Saudi ships could be a precursor to blockading other maritime traffic.

The Houthis want to extract concessions from the Saudis.

Last week, Houthi supporters rallied against the Saudi-led coalition's restrictions.

While the Houthis have increased their military capacity, it's hard to tell how they would implement an embargo.

There is no accurate information about their firepower.

No one knows how long the disruption will last.

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Two oil tankers loaded with Saudi crude have made U-turns in the Red Sea.

A Singapore-flagged tanker and a Liberia-flagged tanker changed direction.

The Houthis could add to the confusion and nervousness in the maritime industry.

They can hit a few targets and make insurance companies not operate in that route.

The Houthis' 'new trap' for the region shows a slow escalation.

It's like a big poker game and you never know when the other players come with their chips.

Why is the Bab el-Mandeb Strait important?

The Bab el-Mandab Strait has helped cushion the impact of the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Saudi oil has been moved to ports along its western coastline on the Red Sea via pipeline, truck and train.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a key shipping waterway and the gateway to the Red Sea.

The strait has provided a vital lifeline for the Saudi economy and relieved some pressure on global oil supplies.

Around 8 per cent of the oil supplying Asia could be impacted by a blockade of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Gulf countries and oil companies have been finding ways to bypass the choke point.

If the Houthis can affect the blockade, it will make things more expensive.

Saudi Arabia could still go through the Mediterranean to Asia, but it would be a much longer trip.

The latest increase in hostilities has seen Brent crude prices climb.

What could the blockade mean for oil markets?

This isn't the first time the Bab el-Mandab Strait has become a target during a conflict in the Middle East.

The Houthis paralysed shipping through the Red Sea, killing at least nine sailors and sinking four ships.

Commercial traffic through Bab el-Mandab hit a record low as shipping companies rerouted their vessels.

A file photo from April showing Yemeni army officers in Bab el-Mandeb.

In 2023, more than 9 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum liquids crossed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait per day.

That reduced to about 4.2 million barrels in 2025, around 5 per cent of global oil production.

The severe disruption in the Red Sea from attacks in 2023 and 2024 has remained.

Any extra hostility in the strait would make it more difficult to get oil from the west coast of Saudi Arabia to Asia and Australia.

If the threat becomes something more tangible and they start hitting ships, the market will get really nervous.

And then you can expect that oil prices will go up again.

The full closure of the strait could cut global oil supply by 7 per cent.

What could happen next?

This is also not the first time the Houthis have gotten involved in this war.

Another risk of increased violence in the region is further retaliation.

If the Houthis hit oil tankers and then Saudi Arabia hits the Houthis, then Iran hits Saudi Arabia and then the US hits Iran … it's a domino effect.

If that happens with more of the oil infrastructure attacked, then we could see our reserves even more depleted.

The commercial tankers struck as they transited the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks were 'highly, highly targeted'.

Freedom of navigation in the world's strategic shipping channels is guaranteed under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

A broader blockade in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait could result in an international response.

Virtually every state in the world would be impacted by limited shipping through the Red Sea.

The international community will probably galvanise around this and the UN would have a role to play.

The UN has voiced concern over renewed Houthi threats against Saudi Arabia and freedom of navigation.

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