Houthis Claim Attacks on Two Saudi Oil Tankers in Red Sea; Iran-backed Rebels Impose Maritime Embargo
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed attacks on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea on July 23, 2026. The Houthis also imposed a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia, citing retaliation for a blockade on Yemen and an attack on Sanaa International Airport. The Saudi authorities have not yet confirmed the attacks, marking the first such strikes since the group announced its blockade.
Where Sources Diverge
euronews and france24 report the attacks occurred on Wednesday evening, while tass and al-jazeera report the attacks occurred on the previous day.
Monday
Wednesday evening
Tuesday
Tuesday
france24 and tass report the Iranian Revolutionary Guards stopped three oil tankers, while other sources do not mention this.
Iranian Revolutionary Guards stopped three oil tankers trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
Houthis emphasized they also succeeded in forcing about ten vessels to turn back.
Timelines
Sources
On Monday, the Tehran-backed group announced they are imposing a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia in retaliation for a blockade on Yemen and a recent attack on Sanaa International Airport.
Iran-backed Houthi Yemeni rebels claimed attacks on Wednesday evening in the Red Sea against two Saudi oil tankers, while the United States continued its strikes against Iran. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards announced on Thursday that they had stopped three oil tankers trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments.
The Saudi authorities had yet to confirm the hits, which would be the first attacks since the Iranian-backed Yemeni group announced a blockade on Saudi Arabia.
Claimed attacks come days after Houthis announced naval embargo on Saudi vessels
The Houthis emphasized that they also succeeded in forcing about ten vessels to turn back