Houthis claim Red Sea tanker strikes amid US attacks on Iran

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis claimed on Thursday they struck two Saudi oil tankers transiting through the Red Sea, while the US continued strikes on Iran for the 12th consecutive night.

The Iran-backed Houthi group wrote on Telegram that it had "carried out a qualitative military operation targeting two Saudi oil tankers that violated the blockade", naming the vessels as the Encelia and the Layla.

Earlier, the British naval security monitor UKMTO reported that a projectile struck a tanker in the Red Sea off Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

"The master of a tanker reports being struck by an unknown projectile which has caused a fire onboard that the crew are currently fighting," it wrote in a statement.

US carries out strikes on Iran for 12th consecutive night

The Houthis' claim comes as the US announced a 12th consecutive night of strikes against targets in Iran.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that its forces had carried out strikes against multiple Iranian military targets on Wednesday night, including maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance sites, and air defence assets.

"The strikes further degrade Iran's ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels," CENTCOM added.

The US also shared video footage on social media appearing to show the strikes.

Earlier on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to threaten further retaliation against Tehran should its forces continue to target shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

"From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy one bridge or power plant, including those located next to, or in, the capital city of Tehran," he wrote.

Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said Tehran would operate an "eye for an eye" policy.

"Any aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response," he wrote in a post on X.

Another front in the Iran war

The Houthis had announced on Monday that they were imposing a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia in retaliation for a blockade on Yemen and a recent attack on Sana'a International Airport.

The Houthis' move threatened another vital waterway for global shipping, raising fears of further escalating the regional conflict.

Bab el-Mandeb, at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is the gateway to the Red Sea through which around 12% of the world's trade usually passes.

A fourth of global container trade transits through the 32-kilometre-wide strait to and from the Suez Canal.

A closure would force vessels to take the much longer route around the Cape of Good Hope, adding two to three weeks to journeys between Asia and Europe and sharply increasing shipping costs.

At least nine tankers have changed course after the Houthi blockade announcement, according to maritime data, including three vessels that had taken on oil at Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Yanbu terminal.