In a move which is sure to inflame tensions still further in the
region after the recent war of words between US President Donald Trump
and Iranian opposite number Hassan Rouhani, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid
al-Falih said the Houthi movement had attacked two Saudi Very Large
Crude Carriers (VLCCs) in the Red Sea on Wednesday morning, one of which
sustained minimal damage.
A statement issued by Mr al-Falih’s ministry said: ”Saudi Arabia is temporarily halting all oil shipments through Bab al-Mandeb Strait immediately until the situation becomes clearer and the maritime transit through Bab al-Mandeb is safe.”
Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been battling the Houthis in a three-year war, lies beside the southern mouth of the Red Sea, one of the most important trade routes in the world for oil tankers. The tankers pass near Yemen's shores while heading from the Middle East through the Suez Canal to Europe.
The Saudi coalition intervened in Yemen's civil war in 2015 to restore the internationally recognised government of exiled president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Had. Saudi Arabia accuses regional arch-foe Iran of supplying missiles to the Houthis, which both Tehran and the Houthis deny.
In a move which is sure to inflame tensions still further in the
region after the recent war of words between US President Donald Trump
and Iranian opposite number Hassan Rouhani, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid
al-Falih said the Houthi movement had attacked two Saudi Very Large
Crude Carriers (VLCCs) in the Red Sea on Wednesday morning, one of which
sustained minimal damage.
A statement issued by Mr al-Falih’s ministry said: ”Saudi Arabia is temporarily halting all oil shipments through Bab al-Mandeb Strait immediately until the situation becomes clearer and the maritime transit through Bab al-Mandeb is safe.”
Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been battling the Houthis in a three-year war, lies beside the southern mouth of the Red Sea, one of the most important trade routes in the world for oil tankers. The tankers pass near Yemen's shores while heading from the Middle East through the Suez Canal to Europe.
The Saudi coalition intervened in Yemen's civil war in 2015 to restore the internationally recognised government of exiled president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Had. Saudi Arabia accuses regional arch-foe Iran of supplying missiles to the Houthis, which both Tehran and the Houthis deny.
The ministry statement said both
tankers that were attacked were operated by Saudi shipping company
Bahri, which had earlier said that one of its VLCCs had suffered minor
damage in an incident in the Red Sea, without elaborating.
Mr al-Falih said: “The two million barrels capacity for each tanker were full of crude oil cargo at the time and were headed for export. One of the VLCCs sustained minimal damage.
"Fortunately, there were no injuries or oil spill that would have resulted in catastrophic environmental damage. Efforts are currently underway to move the damaged ship to the nearest Saudi port."
One of the
coalition's main justifications for intervening in Yemen's war in 2015
was to protect shipping routes such as the Red Sea. It has said it
foiled previous attacks there in April and May.
The coalition said in a statement carried by Saudi state media on
Wednesday that the Houthi movement had attacked one oil tanker west of
Yemen's Hodeidah port, but did not name the vessel or describe how it
was attacked.
It said: "Thankfully the attack failed due to immediate intervention of the Coalition's fleet.”
No details of what this intervention entailed were provided.
The Houthis' Al Masirah TV had said on Twitter that they had targeted a warship named the Dammam off the western coast of Yemen in what the group later said was a missile attack.
It said: "Thankfully the attack failed due to immediate intervention of the Coalition's fleet.”
No details of what this intervention entailed were provided.
The Houthis' Al Masirah TV had said on Twitter that they had targeted a warship named the Dammam off the western coast of Yemen in what the group later said was a missile attack.
In a separate statement carried on the
Houthi-run SABA news agency, the group said it had also targeted a
coalition frigate off the coast of al-Durayhmi in southern Hodeidah.
The Houthis, who have also launched missile attacks on Saudi cities, including the capital Riyadh, have threatened to block the strait of Bab al-Mandeb several times to force the coalition to stop its air strikes.
On Thursday, Houthi leader Mohammed Ali al-Houthi said the group's navy had the capacity to reach the high seas and Saudi ports.
The coalition
has carried out a campaign of thousands of air strikes and restricted
imports into Yemen, worsening what the United Nations says is
potentially the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
The Houthis, who have also launched missile attacks on Saudi cities, including the capital Riyadh, have threatened to block the strait of Bab al-Mandeb several times to force the coalition to stop its air strikes.
On Thursday, Houthi leader Mohammed Ali al-Houthi said the group's navy had the capacity to reach the high seas and Saudi ports.
He
tweeted: ”We were taking into consideration to keep the navigation
through Bab al-Mandeb safe, and to not provide the aggression forces an
excuse that the waterway is under threat.”
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