Houthis Complete Military Preparations for Red Sea Blockade, Saudi Oil Exports at Risk
The Houthi militia in Yemen has reportedly completed all military preparations to launch a new wave of attacks against commercial vessels transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the southern Red Sea. The warning was issued by the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), a maritime security body led by the United States Navy based in Bahrain.
In an official notice to mariners on Tuesday (21/7/2026), the JMIC confirmed that the Iran-allied militia had readied an array of missiles and combat drones around the strategic access point of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This military build-up follows a unilateral maritime embargo declared by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia on Monday, strictly prohibiting all vessels from loading or discharging cargo to or from any Saudi port.
‘The Houthis have completed preparations to attack shipping, including the deployment of missiles and drones positioned near Bab el-Mandeb,’ the JMIC stated in its official warning to the maritime community. ‘All vessels loading or discharging cargo at or from any Saudi port are prohibited (from passing).’
In response to the escalating threat, the European Union Naval Force mission in the Middle East on Wednesday urged all commercial vessels affiliated with Israeli, US, or Saudi interests to avoid navigating the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden waters until the threat level subsides. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a vital maritime chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, and global energy supply markets.
The threat of closing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait could choke off a critical relief valve for the world oil market. Since a surge in Iranian attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, the Saudi government has diverted millions of barrels of oil per day via overland pipelines to the Yanbu terminal on the Red Sea. Kpler data recorded that export volumes from Yanbu crossing Bab el-Mandeb had surged sharply to 3.5 million barrels per day in June, a dramatic increase from just 240,000 barrels per day in the same period the previous year.
Although the JMIC stated the threat status for commercial vessels in the area remains at a ‘moderate’ level with no new attacks in the past two days, the climate of fear has paralysed some shipping activity. Ship-tracking firm Kpler noted a 34 per cent decline in vessel traffic in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Tuesday compared to Monday following the embargo declaration. ‘No changes to commercial routing or transit patterns have occurred, and vessels continue to use established lanes without interference,’ the JMIC’s daily navigation update stated.
Maritime intelligence firm Windward revealed that four tankers carrying a combined 3.8 million barrels of Saudi crude oil, gasoil, and naphtha abruptly turned back before reaching the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Iranian military has intensified attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz in an effort to force commercial vessels to transit through its territorial waters. This week, three tankers carrying crude oil, refined products, and chemicals were reported hit in attacks off the coasts of Oman and the United Arab Emirates. The UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) has recorded at least 12 vessels struck in and around the Strait of Hormuz since 6 July, resulting in two seafarers killed and more than a dozen others injured.