Houthis announce blockade of Saudi Arabia, ships reroute to avoid Bab al Mandeb Strait

July 22, 2026 | FDD's Long War Journal Houthis announce blockade of Saudi Arabia, ships reroute to avoid Bab al Mandeb Strait July 22, 2026 | FDD's Long War Journal Houthis announce blockade of Saudi Arabia, ships reroute to avoid Bab al Mandeb Strait The Houthis announced a complete maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia on July 20. In response, a growing number of vessels are rerouting to avoid the Bab al Mandeb Strait, the southern Red Sea chokepoint near Houthi-controlled territory, demonstrating that the shipping industry is taking the threat seriously. However, the Houthis have not yet targeted vessels or port infrastructure to enforce their blockade. On July 16, Reuters reported that Iranian leadership had told the Houthis to close Bab al Mandeb if the US struck Iranian power infrastructure. After President Donald Trump threatened to attack Iran’s power grid in a July 15 interview, Iranian officials accused him of following through on the threat overnight on July 17. However, the Houthis are portraying the blockade as a response to Saudi-imposed air and maritime blockades, which have been in place for roughly a decade to stop support to the Iran-backed terror group during the Yemeni civil war. In June, Saudi Arabian oil exports via the Red Sea averaged roughly 4 million barrels per day (bpd). In total, about 7 percent of the global oil output (7.4 million bpd) transited the critical waterway, according to the maritime intelligence firm Kpler, up from 4.2 million bpd in 2025. The Houthis followed their announcement with an email to shippers that, according to Reuters, said, “Vessels are banned from loading or discharging cargo at or from any Saudi ports.” The message went on to threaten that vessels transporting Saudi cargo “may be subject to targeting in any location within the operational reach of the Yemeni Armed Forces.” “The criminal Saudi enemy continues its unjust and brutal siege on our dear people for nearly twelve years — plundering wealth and imposing a comprehensive blockade on ports and airports by land, sea, and air — which has worsened the suffering of our dear people until conditions reached an unbearable level, without any right or justification for doing so,” Yemeni military spokesman Yahya Saree stated in an announcement of the maritime blockade. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement declaring that “the Kingdom is, at the same time, taking all necessary measures to protect its ships.” The statement also denounced Houthi claims that Saudi Arabia contributes to the suffering of Yemenis, noting Saudi support for the internationally recognized government of Yemen. Since early July, the Houthis and Iran have attempted to break the Saudi air blockade against the Houthis and portray it as oppression. Currently, vetted civilian and humanitarian flights are permitted to Houthi-controlled territory, but no direct access is allowed between Yemen’s Houthi-controlled airports and Iran. On July 13, Saudi Arabia struck Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian plane from returning the Houthi delegation to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s funeral. In response, the Houthis launched drones and missiles at Abha International Airport in southern Saudi Arabia, all of which were intercepted. On July 21, the Houthis announced a campaign on X in support of the blockade, calling for people to post with the hashtags “siege for siege” and “escalation for escalation.” Bridget Toomey is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies focusing on Iranian proxies, specifically Iraqi militias and the Houthis.