Houthi Maritime Embargo Chokes Off Saudi Oil Exports to Asia

On July 20, 2026, Houthis declared a "maritime embargo" on Saudi Arabia. By July 21, tankers carrying Saudi crude to China and India turned back in the Red Sea. Houthis fired on Saudi oil sites on July 24, damaging a depot. Roughly five million barrels per day flow through the Yanbu Red Sea terminal now at risk. Saudi Arabia's 2022 truce with the Houthis, secured after seven years of failed bombing, has collapsed.