The Red Sea just got a lot more complicated. On July 20, 2026, Yemen’s Houthi movement announced a full maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia, declaring that vessels servicing Saudi ports would no longer be permitted safe passage through the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The announcement was not theoretical. Tankers began turning around almost immediately.
What actually happened
Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarea framed the blockade as retaliation, describing it as “an eye for an eye” in response to what the group characterized as Saudi sieges on Yemeni ports and ongoing airstrikes, including an attack on Sanaa International Airport.
The first confirmed casualty of the declaration was the Xin Long Yang, a Chinese very large crude carrier, or VLCC, which aborted its passage through the area and executed a U-turn in the Red Sea.
