By Nayera Abdallah and Timour Azhari
DUBAI, July 20 (Reuters) - Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they were imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, drawing a warning from the Saudi-led coalition that it would respond "firmly", in a move that threatens to disrupt global energy supplies beyond the Gulf.
The Houthis' armed forces in a statement said they were declaring "a maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy, based on the equation of 'an eye for an eye', effective immediately".
They said the decision was in response to what they called "an unjust and oppressive siege" imposed on Yemen by the Saudis. A full closure of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the southern gateway to the Red Sea, would halt Saudi oil exports to Asia and could reduce global oil supply by 7%.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen vowed to respond to the threat to its commercial ships with firmness.
DUBAI, July 20 (Reuters) - Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they were imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, drawing a warning from the Saudi-led coalition that it would respond "firmly", in a move that threatens to disrupt global energy supplies beyond the Gulf.
The Houthis' armed forces in a statement said they were declaring "a maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy, based on the equation of 'an eye for an eye', effective immediately".
They said the decision was in response to what they called "an unjust and oppressive siege" imposed on Yemen by the Saudis. A full closure of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the southern gateway to the Red Sea, would halt Saudi oil exports to Asia and could reduce global oil supply by 7%.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen vowed to respond to the threat to its commercial ships with firmness.
3 months ago
