Daijiworld Media Network - Dubai

Dubai, Jul 22: Two oil tankers carrying Saudi crude to Asian markets changed course in the Red Sea on Tuesday after Yemen's Houthi rebels threatened to target vessels transporting Saudi oil, raising fresh concerns over global energy supplies as the conflict in the Middle East intensifies.

The rerouting came amid escalating regional tensions following overnight US strikes on targets in southern and western Iran. Iran, in response, claimed to have launched attacks on US-linked sites in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, while reports also emerged of a tanker being struck in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global oil transit route.

Iran further claimed it had targeted infrastructure associated with Amazon in Bahrain, where the technology company operates a regional data centre. Amazon did not immediately respond to the allegation, and the claim could not be independently verified.

On Monday, the Iran-backed Houthis, who control large parts of northern and western Yemen, including the Red Sea coastline, announced what they described as a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, opening another front in the ongoing regional conflict.

In a warning issued to the global shipping industry, the Houthis said they would target vessels involved in loading or unloading Saudi crude oil.

Responding to the development, US President Donald Trump said the Houthis had not yet succeeded in blocking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial maritime passage linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, but warned that the United States would respond if the route was obstructed.

"So far it hasn't happened. If something like that happens, we will take care of it," Trump said.

The US President also confirmed that 18 American military personnel had been killed since the conflict escalated, including four who died in recent Iranian attacks on US military installations in Jordan and Iraq.

The Houthi warning appeared to have an immediate impact on commercial shipping. Two oil tankers that had loaded Saudi crude at the Red Sea port of Yanbu for delivery to China and India reportedly reversed course, heading north towards the Suez Canal instead of sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait into the Indian Ocean.

British maritime security consultancy Vanguard said the route changes represented the first confirmed disruption to commercial tanker operations following the Houthi announcement.

According to the firm, the altered shipping pattern could significantly affect Saudi oil exports and create wider disruptions across regional maritime trade.

With the Strait of Hormuz already facing disruptions due to the ongoing conflict, Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on its Red Sea export route through Yanbu to transport millions of barrels of crude oil each day via pipeline, making the Bab el-Mandeb corridor even more strategically important.

Growing concerns over supply disruptions also pushed global energy prices higher. Brent crude rose by more than two per cent to trade above $91 per barrel, while petrol prices in the United States climbed back above $4 per gallon, reflecting mounting market anxiety over the stability of key global oil supply routes.