Houthi Militia Declares Maritime Blockade on Saudi Arabia

The Houthi militia in Yemen declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia on Monday, a move observers believe responds to an Iranian request and aims to increase pressure on the United States, which has been conducting strikes on critical Iranian military and infrastructure sites for nine consecutive days.

In a video statement, the Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree announced the immediate enforcement of a "maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia," according to his words.

The militia stated that the navigation ban is part of a "siege-for-siege" equation, warning that it will respond to any Saudi escalation with "similar escalatory measures," as they described it.

The statement added that the militia is prepared to implement "all options" and threatened to respond to any escalatory steps with a "comprehensive and harsh escalation," according to their declaration.

This announcement followed reports from several sources confirming that Tehran requested the Houthis to close the Bab al-Mandab Strait, through which 12% of the world's energy needs pass, if the United States targeted Iranian energy facilities. This came after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard took control over areas under militia control and completed deploying missiles and drones in the highlands overlooking Red Sea ports held by the Houthis and the Gulf of Aden.

The Houthi move marks the first public breach of the ceasefire brokered by the United Nations in April 2022. It also occurred hours after the failure of a UN-led mediation aimed at defusing the crisis between the government and the Houthi militia, which arose from the militia’s efforts to organize near-daily commercial flights between Iran and their controlled territories, violating the air embargo imposed under UN Security Council resolutions aimed at preventing arms flow to the militias.

The UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, met with representatives of the internationally recognized government and the Houthi militia to promote de-escalation and acceptance of the Jordanian initiative to operate regular commercial flights between Sana’a and Amman. However, the Houthis deemed this insufficient and demanded funding for employee salaries in their areas, a share of oil and gas export revenues, and the removal of all restrictions on ports under their control.

Simultaneously, the militia called on its supporters to continue general mobilization, increase readiness, and support the fronts while preparing for various "possible scenarios."

Last Thursday, Reuters cited three sources stating that Iran had asked the Houthi militia to be ready to close the oil route in the Red Sea if the United States struck Iranian energy infrastructure, posing a new threat to global energy supplies.

This plan, which involves controlling the Bab al-Mandab Strait, was discussed within Iranian leadership and communicated to Tehran’s allies among the Houthis, according to two senior Iranian officials and a regional source familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity.