Houthis target Red Sea shipping as US hits Iran
A Saudi vessel was attacked in the Red Sea as Tehran-backed Houthi rebels claimed to strike tankers in the waterway, Riyadh's state media said July 23, signalling a potential new front in the U.S.-Iran conflict.
The Houthis had threatened to blockade Saudi ports on the Red Sea — a key route for oil shipments — while the five-month war had already led to the effective closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz.
Washington and Tehran have been battling over key crude supply route Hormuz, which led to the collapse of a preliminary deal aimed at ending the war that has sent global oil prices climbing.
The Houthis' claim came as the United States launched fresh strikes on Iranian military targets, prompting retaliatory attacks on U.S. ally Kuwait in the latests round of tit-for-tat fighting.
