Iran-backed Houthi strikes threaten Saudi oil flow and Red Sea shipping, urging US action
Iran-aligned Houthi forces attacked Saudi oil infrastructure and seized the Bab al-Mandeb chokepoint, prompting calls for a stronger US response.
Iran's waning leverage has led its proxy, the Houthi movement, to open a new front against Saudi Arabia and its allies. Recent assaults crippled the East-West pipeline that carries more than 4 million barrels of Saudi oil each day, and the damage could linger for a month or longer. At the same time, Houthi fighters seized the Bab al-Mandeb strait, effectively controlling Red Sea traffic and declaring that only Saudi vessels are at risk.
The disruptions have already pushed gasoline prices to their highest point since June, underscoring the global energy impact. President Donald Trump has so far declined to intervene, maintaining that the Houthis' grievance is directed solely at Saudi Arabia, even as they continue to view the United States as a perpetual enemy.
Why it matters
Proxy attacks on Saudi oil routes could raise global energy prices and draw the US into deeper Middle East conflict.
How this story developed
- Jul 20 U.S. and Iran intensify air strikes over Strait of Hormuz, diplomacy stalls
- Sep 4 The United Arab Emirates announced a full stop to commercial and financial dealings with Iran.
- Sep 4 Iran announced missile and drone attacks on U.S. bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
- Sep 4 Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said the U.S. could launch a strike on Iran's heavily fortified underground nuclear site at Pickaxe Mountain once activity is confirmed. He linked the potential attack to the broader five-month campaign aimed at preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Trump also cited recent U.S. strikes on Iranian military facilities, including air-defence and radar installations, as part of the effort to curb Iran's capabilities.
- Sep 5 Republican committees have filed a petition with the Supreme Court challenging the Fourth Circuit ruling.
- Sep 5 U.S. forces hit launchers on Larak Island and Iran fired ballistic missiles at U.S. sites in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
- Sep 5 Vance publicly downplayed the reported civilian deaths from the alleged strike.
- Sep 5 Eyewitnesses said the explosions shattered the wedding celebration in Kuhestak.
- Sep 5 Jordan warned that Israeli annexation could trigger up to 500,000 Palestinian refugees into the kingdom.
- Sep 10 Trump warned of a possible strike at a midterm Republican gathering.
- Sep 13 The Ministry of External Affairs condemned the attack on the commercial vessel MT El Gaia off the coast of Oman, saying 13 of the 14 Indian crew have been rescued and search continues for the missing Indian national.
- Sep 14 Oman hosts a Gulf meeting on Hormuz while Bahrain refuses to participate.
- Sep 14 Iranian cargo vessel hit near Qeshm Island, killing one crew member and prompting Oman to delay the Hormuz talks.
- Sep 15 Trump asserted the war could end right after the November midterm elections.
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