Houthis Attack Saudi Arabia Again as Strait of Hormuz Talks Stall
Houthis launch missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia as Gulf-Iran talks on reopening the Strait of Hormuz are postponed, raising global oil supply concerns.
Raja Awais Ali
9/15/20264 min read
Houthis Escalate Attacks on Saudi Arabia as Strait of Hormuz Talks Stall
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have launched a fresh wave of attacks against Saudi Arabia while strengthening their positions along Yemen’s western Red Sea coast, adding to growing fears that the wider Middle East conflict could further disrupt global oil supplies. At the same time, planned talks between Iran and Gulf Arab states aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz have been postponed, leaving diplomatic efforts to ease the crisis facing another setback.
The Houthis said on Monday that they fired dozens of missiles and drones at a military airbase in Khamis Mushait in southern Saudi Arabia. According to the group, the attack targeted aircraft hangars, radar systems, runways and ammunition depots and was carried out in response to Saudi airstrikes against Houthi positions in Yemen.
Saudi authorities issued emergency alerts in Khamis Mushait and three other southern cities following the attacks. The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said 13 civilians were wounded.
The latest escalation comes as the Houthis have made territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. Their recent advances include the capture of Perim Island at the entrance to the Red Sea, a strategically important location near the Bab al-Mandab waterway. Yemeni officials said the group has been consolidating its positions along much of the western coastline while coming under increasing pressure from Saudi and Yemeni air forces.
The developments have also increased concerns over Saudi Arabia’s ability to maintain oil exports. An aerial attack on Thursday knocked the kingdom’s east-west oil pipeline offline, with Riyadh blaming Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. The pipeline stretches about 1,200 kilometres (745 miles) across Saudi Arabia from the Gulf to the Red Sea and was built in the 1980s as an alternative export route that could bypass the Strait of Hormuz during periods of regional conflict.
Traders have warned that a prolonged shutdown of the Saudi pipeline could remove as much as 4% of global oil supply from the market while shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely restricted. Riyadh has not said when pipeline operations are expected to resume.
Saudi and Yemeni aircraft have responded to the Houthi offensive with intensified airstrikes on Houthi targets, including areas around the historic Red Sea port of Mocha. Officials from Yemen’s internationally recognised government said the Houthis still maintain effective control over almost the entire western Red Sea coastline, despite the increased air campaign.
One Yemeni official said the Houthis were facing heavy military pressure but were responding by increasing their missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia. The renewed fighting marks a sharp deterioration after years in which the Saudi-Houthi conflict had remained relatively quiet under a ceasefire.
Saudi Arabia has led a coalition against the Houthis since 2015. The conflict had largely eased in recent years, but fighting reignited this month as Houthi forces pushed back against fighters aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
The renewed violence has also affected global oil markets. Crude prices climbed by more than 4% on Monday before settling around 1% higher, as traders assessed the risk of further disruptions to energy infrastructure and shipping routes in the region.
The United States has so far resisted Saudi requests for direct military intervention beyond providing intelligence support. U.S. President Donald Trump said the Houthis had also contacted Washington and urged the United States to stay out of the fighting.
Saudi state media reported that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met U.S. regional commander Admiral Brad Cooper in Jeddah on Monday, as Riyadh assessed its response to the expanding Houthi offensive.
Diplomatic efforts to reduce the wider regional tensions have also stalled. Oman had been scheduled to host a meeting on Monday involving Iran and Gulf states to discuss negotiations aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Oman later announced that the meeting had been postponed, while Iran said the delay came at Saudi Arabia’s request.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy corridors and carried around 20% of global oil exports before the war. Its continued disruption has raised concerns about the impact on international energy markets, particularly as fighting spreads across the region.
Iranian officials have continued to signal that there will be no immediate agreement without Tehran’s conditions being met. U.S. President Donald Trump again said Iran was eager to reach a deal quickly, but Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, dismissed the message as a distraction and said there would be “no talks until Iran’s conditions are met.”
Uncertainty also surrounds an incident involving the oil tanker El Gaia near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the Panama-flagged tanker had been struck by sea mines while passing through a prohibited area south of the strait. The claim was reported by Iran’s Fars news agency.
U.S. Central Command disputed that account, saying the tanker had instead been struck by an Iranian missile last month and rendered inoperable. The International Maritime Organization said the vessel was damaged on Saturday but gave no cause for the incident. Two seafarers were reported missing.
Reuters was unable to contact the vessel’s owners in Dubai for comment, leaving the circumstances surrounding the incident unresolved.
The Strait of Hormuz has remained largely shut to normal oil shipping since the war began on February 28, after Iran threatened vessels attempting to transit the waterway without its authorisation. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have described the strait as closed and under what they call “smart control.”
The combination of renewed Houthi attacks, pressure on Saudi oil infrastructure, restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and stalled diplomatic talks has increased the risk of further disruption to global energy supplies. With no clear breakthrough in negotiations and fighting continuing on multiple fronts, the regional conflict is creating new pressure on both Middle Eastern governments and international oil markets.
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