Yemen's Houthi Militia Attacks Saudi Oil Tankers in Red Sea Amid US-Iran Tensions

Yemen’s Houthi militia attacked two Saudi Arabian oil tankers, the Iranian-aligned group said on Thursday, with a Saudi news agency later confirming one of the vessels was ablaze in the Red Sea.

The threat of new front opening up in the US-Iran war came as the US military launched its 12th successive night of strikes, which have now widened to western and central Iran.

The Houthis said they attacked two tankers, the Encelia and Layla, saying the vessels had violated a naval blockade imposed by the group on Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea. The Houthis said they targeted the tankers with a number of ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones.

Saudi Arabian news outlet SPA said an attack caused a fire on the bow of the Encelia but all crew members were safe. It did not say who targeted the vessel.

A maritime security source said earlier on Thursday that the Encelia had transmitted a distress call via VHF radio, reporting it had been struck by a missile while operating at the outer port limits of Saudi Arabia’s Jizan, in the Red Sea, and was on fire.

The British maritime risk-management group Vanguard also said the Saudi-flagged tanker Encelia was struck by an unknown projectile about 70 nautical miles (130 km) south-west of Saudi Arabia’s Al Shuqaiq.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said it had received a report of an incident in the same area, saying the master of a tanker reported being struck by an unknown projectile that caused a fire onboard.

It was not immediately clear whether the UKMTO report referred to the Encelia, though details matched Vanguard’s report.

In the statement announcing their attack on the two tankers, the Houthis claimed they had forced about 10 ships to retreat and return.

Five tankers changed course in the Red Sea on Wednesday, with two signalling the Suez canal as their new destination after the Houthis warned ships to avoid Saudi ports, ship-tracking data showed.

Brent crude oil on Wednesday jumped more than 3% to move back up above $95.

Before the Red Sea flare-up, Trump had vowed to destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant every time Iran shoots at a ship in the strait of Hormuz, a claim Iran said it would respond to.

US attacks on Thursday lasted five hours and struck at Iranian military targets including maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance sites, and air defence assets.

Iranian media reports said the US twice on Thursday attacked a military target in Bushehr, near the country’s only operating commercial nuclear power reactor, marking three strikes there in two days.

State TV reported two people were killed and 11 wounded in what a Khuzestan provincial official described as a US missile attack on the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iraq.

Despite triumphant statements from Washington, Iran has demonstrated it retains missile and drone capabilities. Iran pounded vital water desalination and energy plants in Kuwait this week and targeted US military assets there. US allies Bahrain and Jordan have also come under attack in recent days.

An Iranian health ministry official said 53 civilians had been killed and 592 wounded since late last month. Since the US and Israel launched the war on 28 February, thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced.

The war has also led to the deaths of 18 US service members and injured more than 450 troops.

Trump attended a ceremony on Wednesday at Dover air force base for four US service members killed in Iranian attacks on military bases over the last few days.

“For me it’s one of the hardest things to do as a president. But it has to be done,” Trump said before leaving for the ceremony.