Iran war: Houthis claim strikes on two Saudi oil tankers in Red Sea

The Tehran-backed Houthis have claimed attacks on two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea, threatening to open up a new front in the Middle East conflict as the U.S. completed its 12th consecutive night of strikes on Iran.

Yemen’s Houthis said Wednesday that they had targeted two Saudi Arabian oil tankers, named Encelia and Layla, with drones and missiles for allegedly violating their maritime blockade.

The attack, if confirmed, would mark the first since the militant group announced a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) confirmed the Encelia was targeted while transiting the Red Sea, resulting in a fire at the bow of the vessel. Citing an unnamed official from the Transport General Authority, the agency reported all crew were safe and described the attack as a violation of international law.

The SPA did not provide an update on the Layla tanker.

Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported Wednesday that an “unknown projectile” struck a Saudi Arabian oil tanker about 130 kilometers from the coastal town of Al Shuqaiq in Saudi Arabia. UKMTO said the incident resulted in a fire onboard and reported no casualties.

The U.S. Central Command said overnight that American forces completed another round of strikes against Iran, hitting military targets including maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage facilities, and air defense assets.

“The strikes further degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels,” Centcom said in a statement.

It added that U.S. forces have targeted dozens of Iranian military sites on land this month while resuming a blockade against the Islamic Republic at sea. As of Thursday evening, Centcom said it had redirected nine commercial vessels and disabled one to prevent ships from entering or departing Iranian ports.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Thursday that Iran is still not ready to make a deal — “at least not one they are willing to live by.”

“They are going to continue to pay a price and every night the price gets higher and higher and higher,” Rubio said.

Asked for his reaction to Houthi-claimed attacks on two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea, Rubio said: “I hope that they will stop. They shouldn’t really do that. They got suckered into this by the Iranians.”

Oil prices were higher on Thursday morning, extending recent gains, as the U.S. and Iran ratcheted up hostilities.

International benchmark Brent crude futures with September delivery were last seen trading up 3.6% at $97.46 per barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures with September delivery, meanwhile, stood 2.7% higher at $89.14.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said in its latest update that at least seven vessels had changed course to avoid transiting through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in light of the Houthis blockade on Saudi Arabian ports. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a choke point for commercial ship traffic that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and global markets.

The U.S. has also increasingly struck Iranian targets outside of southern Iran, including western and northwestern Iran, the ISW said.

President Donald Trump had warned the U.S. would destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant each time Iran attacks a ship in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, signaling a further fracturing of the interim peace agreement signed by both sides last month.

“From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT,” Trump said Wednesday in a Truth Social post.

In response, Iran said it would retaliate to those strikes with attacks against U.S.-linked infrastructure and energy assets in the region.