Foreign Relations

Saudi Oil Tankers Reverse Course After Iran-Backed Houthi Threats

Published

Courtroom-sketch editorial illustration of a nighttime Houthi rally crowd holding placards beneath green and gold fireworks

At least two tankers carrying Saudi crude to China and India reversed course in the Red Sea after Iran-backed Houthi threats against ships using Saudi ports. The Xin Long Yang, loaded with 2 million barrels at Yanbu, and the Rodos, carrying about 700,000 barrels, headed north toward Suez instead of south through Bab el-Mandeb. Windward counted five Saudi-linked tankers changing course, while the Houthis claimed six without independent confirmation. The strait remains open, but rerouting could lengthen Asia-bound voyages and disrupt a route carrying more than 7 million barrels of petroleum a day.

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