Middle East Tensions Surge as US and Houthis Report Attacks on Vessels
Tensions in the Middle East have reignited after the United States and Yemen’s Houthi group reported separate attacks on vessels on Tuesday. The escalation comes as efforts to end the five-month war involving Iran have once again reached an impasse.
According to Reuters, the Iran-allied Houthi group claimed to have attacked a Saudi vessel carrying military equipment in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The Houthi-run Saba news agency reported the attack followed the group’s 20 July declaration of a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea.
Yemen’s transport ministry said four crew members of a small cargo ship were killed in a suspected Houthi attack in the Bab el-Mandeb. The Egyptian-flagged vessel, named Tihamah, is the first reported to have suffered fatalities from a Houthi attack since the war with Iran began.
Separately, the US military said a Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles to disable the steering system of a Panama-flagged cargo ship. The vessel had reportedly ignored repeated warnings to stop violating a US naval blockade around Iranian ports. Maritime sources said the ship was hit off the coast of Pakistan while heading towards the Gulf of Oman, heightening the risk of clashes in a waterway vital to global energy trade.
Tensions further intensified after senior Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei stated that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until Washington meets Tehran’s demands. “As long as America does not change its behaviour and does not accept Iran’s conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened,” Rezaei was quoted as saying by Tasnim. Iran’s demands include the release of frozen state assets and an end to all regional wars, including the conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza.
The statement came a day after US President Donald Trump demanded that Iran pay compensation for victims of various wars, attacks, and protests over the past 50 years. Trump has previously threatened escalation while also hinting at the possibility of a peace deal, but in an interview with Real America’s Voice, he acknowledged the uncertainty could persist. “I am in the process of negotiating. They are very tricky negotiators,” Trump said.
The attacks have also sparked market concerns over global energy supplies. Brent crude prices rose 1.4% to US$88.91 per barrel, while US crude gained 1.3% to US$83.20 per barrel. The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical chokepoint, as it was the route for about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows before the conflict erupted. With thousands already killed since the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February, the threat of escalation has grown after a Revolutionary Guards adviser said Tehran was developing the capability to conduct operations in “enemy territory.”