Four Million Barrels a Day of Saudi Crude Now Transits Houthi-Declared Blockade Zone

Saudi Arabia rerouted over 70% of crude exports to the Red Sea port of Yanbu after the Strait of Hormuz closure. Roughly four million barrels per day now flow through the 32-km-wide Bab al-Mandab Strait — up from 973,000 a year earlier — waters where the Houthis declared a naval blockade on July 20, 2026, warning tankers using Saudi ports risk attack.