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(NewsNation) — The conflict between the United States and Iran widened Thursday as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, threatening to disrupt another critical global shipping route.
The Houthis said they struck two Saudi oil tankers, the Encelia and Layla, as part of what they describe as a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, according to the SABA news agency.
Saudi authorities confirmed the Encelia was hit, causing a fire but no reported casualties. The attack on the Layla has not been independently verified.
The strikes come days after the Houthis announced a blockade around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the narrow waterway connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Several tankers have already changed course to avoid the area, while others carrying Saudi crude continued toward the route Thursday.
The Bab el-Mandeb handles about 12% of global trade and serves as another key artery for oil shipments between the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
US completes 12th night of strikes
The U.S. military said it launched another round of strikes overnight targeting Iranian military command centers, maritime capabilities and drone infrastructure.
President Donald Trump has tied the campaign directly to attacks on commercial shipping, warning Wednesday that every Iranian strike on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz would be met by U.S. attacks on Iranian infrastructure.
“Any time Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz … the United States will bomb and destroy one bridge or power plant,” Trump wrote on social media.
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