Houthis fire on Saudi Red Sea oil sites

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militants fired on Saudi oil installations in two ports on the Red Sea coast on Saturday (July 25). The AsiaOne report details that the attack extended a wider Gulf conflict into a second major shipping route, while the United States held back from launching air strikes on Iran for the first night in two weeks.

Washington gave no immediate explanation of why it had abruptly halted a streak of 13 nights of escalating strikes in retaliation for Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz since an interim deal to end hostilities collapsed. Meanwhile, Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour said on X that Iran had experienced a peaceful night, according to Asiaone. There were also no reports on Saturday of attacks from Iran on its Gulf neighbours, like those which have been taking place daily in response to the US attacks.

Axios, citing two unidentified sources familiar with the matter, said President Donald Trump on Friday directed the military not to conduct new strikes against Iran. A senior US official told Reuters on Saturday that Trump "has always been clear that his preference is diplomacy, but he has shown Iran what will happen if they fail to come to the table in a serious way." On Friday, Trump said the ‌US and Iran were in talks to ​negotiate an end ​to their conflict, but ⁠repeated that Tehran ​was not yet ready ​for a deal.

Global oil prices soared this week, with Brent crude spiking above $100 (S$129) a barrel for the first time since May, as reported by Theprint. The price surge followed a declaration of a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia by the Houthis over the past week. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had successfully struck sites belonging to Saudi state oil giant Aramco in Jizan and Yanbu. Video shared on social media and verified by Reuters showed a large column of smoke rising from the direction of the Aramco refinery in Jizan, and two Asia-based trading sources said that they had been informed of potential damage to fuel and oil storage sites at Jizan. Aramco did not respond to requests for comment.

In Yanbu, two ballistic missiles aimed at oil installations were intercepted by a US-made Patriot battery operated in Saudi Arabia by the Greek military under an agreement with Riyadh, according to Greek security sources reported by ThePrint. Yanbu is Saudi Arabia's main Red Sea oil port, where millions of barrels a day are loaded, and has become the main route out for Saudi oil skirting the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blockaded by Iran. Jizan, on the Red Sea close to the Yemeni border, is the site of a refinery with a capacity of 400,000 barrels per day.

In Yemen, the air force of the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government, which has opposed the Houthis for more than a decade, struck Houthi missile and drone launch sites and arms depots in the Marib and al-Jawf provinces, Yemeni officials said. Earlier, the Saudi-led military alliance said it had bombed Houthi military positions on Friday in the Red Sea port of Hodeidah. The Yemeni officials said both sides in Yemen's civil war were mobilising forces along the front.

The Yemeni civil war, during which hundreds of thousands of people died from fighting and famine, has been paused under a ceasefire since 2022. But that truce broke down this month, with the Houthis effectively joining the wider war their Iranian allies have waged since being attacked by the US and Israel. Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said all Saudi oil facilities could be targets. Yemen’s Houthi-run foreign ministry said that Friday’s strikes on Hodeidah marked the start of a phase of “escalation for escalation”, and held Saudi Arabia responsible for any resulting developments. Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV said the Saudi strikes hit facilities belonging to the state telecommunications corporation in Hodeidah city. The broadcaster also said Saudi forces targeted Kamaran Island, off Yemen’s western coast.

The Saudi-led coalition said it would continue taking necessary measures to protect its ships and Saudi Arabia’s interests, and would respond “uncompromisingly” if the Houthis continued hostile actions. Early on Saturday, Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al-Jaber said in posts on X that the kingdom would continue to support the entry of ships to Hodeidah Port despite Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

Recent Escalation Timeline

• Thursday: Houthis struck two Saudi tankers in the Red Sea.
• Friday: Trump vowed "major military punishment" for Tehran and the Houthis; Saudi-led coalition bombed Houthi military positions in Hodeidah.
• Saturday: Houthis fired on Saudi oil installations in two ports on the Red Sea coast; US held back from launching air strikes on Iran for the first night in two weeks.