The Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree on Wednesday said, “We targeted two Saudi oil tankers, named Encelia and Layla, for their violation of the blockade decision issued by the armed forces.”
At least two people were killed and 11 others wounded in the US’s latest round of attacks on Iran.
One of the strikes targeted the Shalamcheh border crossing between southern Iran and Iraq.
CENTCOM, in a statement issued on Thursday morning, said the attack further degraded Iran’s ability to attack mariners and commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
The command claimed to have “redirected nine commercial vessels and disabled one to prevent ships from entering or departing Iranian ports.”
Iran also said it set ablaze a tanker trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz without its permission. It also launched retaliatory strikes targeted at American interests in Kuwait, after US attacks on its cities.
US President Donald Trump has indicated that strikes and counterstrikes would continue as he threatened more attacks on Iranian civilian infrastructure.
He said that US forces would bomb an Iranian bridge or power plant every time Iranian forces hit a ship in the Strait of Hormuz. In response, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Tehran’s defence doctrine is an eye for an eye.
In a post on X, he wrote, “Our defence doctrine is clear: eye for an eye. Any aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response.”
The attacks in the Strait of Hormuz caused oil price to reach $96 a barrel, the hightest price since 8 June.
Meanwhile, the war appears to be escalating, with renewed tension brewing between Yemen’s Houthis and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian-backed rebel group has claimed responsibility for an attack on two Saudi oil tankers transiting the Red Sea.
The Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, on Wednesday said, “We targeted two Saudi oil tankers, named Encelia and Layla, for their violation of the blockade decision issued by the armed forces.”
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the group previously announced a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in retaliation for an attack on its airport which prevented the landing of a plane carrying a Houthis delegation arriving from Iran.
Al Jazeera, quoting Saudi state media, reported that a government official confirmed the attack on Encelia.
It reported that the Houthis, repeatedly firing ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones, set fire to the ships on the Red Sea.
It is not clear how the Saudis will respond to the Houthi attacks.
On Wednesday, the US and Saudi Arabia also signed a “peaceful nuclear cooperation” deal which allows the kingdom to develop a civilian nuclear programme.
