Yemen Imposes Red Sea Shipping Ban on Saudi Vessels, Citing Blockade Reciprocity

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Yemen‘s decision to ban Saudi shipping in the Red Sea has entered its third week. This action follows Sayyid Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi, leader of Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement, announcing the implementation of a “blockade for blockade” equation late last month. This equation is likely to persist and could even escalate as long as the Saudi regime maintains its blockade on Yemen.

Field data indicates Sana’a’s success in preventing the transit of Saudi oil tankers and commercial vessels through the operational zone in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden. This prohibition has significant repercussions for Saudi Arabia’s economy, causing considerable challenges due to reduced oil exports and commercial imports. Shipping companies have reacted by rerouting vessels through longer and more expensive alternative routes, significantly increasing transportation and insurance costs. The journey duration for each ship has also extended by 30 to 60 days, impacting supply chains notably.

Sana’a’s establishment of the “blockade for blockade” equation is a legitimate response to the Saudi blockade of Yemen, which is being enforced through two primary mechanisms. Firstly, any Saudi or Saudi-affiliated vessels that violate the Yemeni prohibition order will be targeted with appropriate missiles and drones. Secondly, oil tankers and commercial vessels are being compelled to change their course, rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope. According to specialized maritime sources, Yemeni armed forces have successfully altered the course of over 16 ships.

The Yemeni armed forces have emphasized that compelling Saudi oil tankers to change course is within the framework of establishing the “blockade for blockade” equation and is a direct result of the precise maritime prohibition imposed on Saudi enemy vessels. International shipping platforms have indeed registered the highest volume of non-Saudi vessel traffic in the Bab al-Mandab Strait over the past two weeks.

Sana’a aims to establish a balance of power and direct military deterrence against the Saudi regime. This action reflects the will of a people who have endured Saudi oppression for the past 12 years. Sana’a has found it necessary to implement this equation as a means to counter Saudi efforts, with the involvement of the United States and Britain, to tighten the blockade ring, stifle the Yemeni people, and lead them towards collapse.

Al-Mayadeen has highlighted the most prominent manifestations of the oppressive Saudi human and economic war over the past 12 years against the Yemeni people, categorizing them as follows: the destruction of the country’s economic infrastructure through aerial bombardment and economic warfare, resulting in direct and indirect damages estimated by official sources in Sana’a at over one trillion dollars; the imposition of oppressive measures and restrictions on commercial imports, with the Saudi regime recently implementing stringent measures on goods that have contributed to a 400% increase in prices, further exacerbating the living conditions of Yemeni citizens under aggression and blockade; the continuation of the flight ban at Sana’a Airport, with control over its operational decisions and attempts to impose guardianship to issue permits and determine destinations, deepening the humanitarian and health crisis; the deprivation of the Yemeni people from revenues generated from the sale of 90 million barrels of oil annually, as well as income from Yemen’s significant and promising gas wealth, which could have been used to pay salaries and provide services to citizens; the deprivation of the Yemeni people from electricity services from the gas station in Marib; and Saudi Arabia’s overt interference to prevent previous Yemeni governments from extracting oil in the Al-Jawf and Al-Mahrah provinces.

The functional role of the Saudi regime as an “instrument in the hands of Zionism” is not a recent development but a historical truth demonstrating that the Saudi regime neither respects the rights of neighboring countries nor honors Yemenis and Yemeni sovereignty. Yemen is currently seeking to reclaim its rights in the region and is implementing deterrent equations to achieve this. In response, Saudi Arabia, with the explicit encouragement of the United States, Britain, and the Zionist regime, is seeking to form a “maritime coalition” against Yemen, ostensibly to “protect international shipping.” However, Yemen’s operations do not threaten any country other than Saudi Arabia and do not equate to closing the Bab al-Mandab Strait to international navigation.

Arab and Western media have recently reported that Saudi Arabia has formed a maritime coalition to “protect international shipping.” However, the reality is precisely the opposite. This idea is entirely Zionist in origin, having been proposed in late 2023 and evolving into a project in 2026, with the Saudi regime acting as the executive director and an instrument for international Zionism. This assertion is further bolstered by the fact that the Zionist network “Kan” revealed in 2023 that “Tel Aviv officially requested several countries, including Britain and Japan, to form a naval force within an international coalition to guarantee the freedom of ships in the Bab al-Mandab region.” This approach stems from Zionist frustration over the failure of the American-British coalition to secure Zionist shipping and halt Yemeni support operations.

Although the signs of failure for this coalition are evident from the outset, destined for disgrace like previous coalitions, Sana’a emphasizes to all nations that the battle with Riyadh is “to reclaim human rights and lift the oppressive blockade that has continued for 12 years.” Sana’a warned that “any militarization of the Red Sea will cause instability and negatively impact safe navigation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab.” Sana’a affirmed that “security is indivisible” and that the closest path to securing Saudi interests lies in ending the aggression and fully lifting the Saudi blockade against Yemen.