India-Bound Oil Tankers Make U-Turn in Red Sea after Houthis’ ‘Eye-For-An-Eye’ Threat To Saudi Arabia

Three oil tankers carrying Saudi crude for India and China were forced to make a U-turn in the Red Sea after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia announced a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia. According to Reuters, the tankers — Xin Long Yang, Rodos, and Amazon — altered course while heading towards the Suez Canal following the Houthi warning.

The Xin Long Yang had loaded 2 million barrels of Saudi crude at Yanbu, while India-bound Rodos was carrying around 700,000 barrels. The Houthis said the blockade was in retaliation for what they called Saudi Arabia’s “unjust and oppressive siege” on Yemen, raising fresh concerns over disruptions to global oil supplies and key shipping routes amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict.