The escalating conflict in the Middle East has opened a dangerous new front in the Red Sea, threatening global energy markets and prompting strong condemnation from the African Union.
In a dramatic escalation of hostilities, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed attacks on two Saudi oil tankers transiting the vital maritime corridor, following their recent declaration of a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia.
The Striking of the Tankers
On Wednesday, July 22, 2026, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree announced that the group had targeted two Saudi oil tankers, the Encelia and the Layla, using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones.
The militants stated the vessels were targeted for allegedly violating the group’s newly imposed maritime blockade on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) confirmed that the Encelia was struck while sailing in the Red Sea near the coastal town of Al Shuqaiq, resulting in a fire at the vessel’s bow.
Fortunately, all crew members were reported safe. The SPA condemned the attack, stating it constituted a “violation of international laws and conventions that guarantee the safety of commercial
vessels and their crews”.
Independent confirmation of the attack on the Layla remains pending, though U.S. President Donald Trump referenced both attacks in his response.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre, monitors shipping in the region, corroborated reports of a tanker being struck by an unknown projectile, noting that the crew was actively fighting a fire onboard.
Furthermore, Saree claimed that the Houthis had successfully forced approximately ten ships, including oil tankers, to abandon their routes and turn back in the vicinity of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
The “Eye for an Eye” Blockade
The attacks represent a significant expansion of the Houthi maritime campaign, which previously focused primarily on vessels linked to Israel following the outbreak of the Gaza
conflict in late 2023.
On July 20, 2026, the Houthis declared a complete maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia, framing it as an “eye for an eye” retaliation for what they described as Saudi Arabia’s nearly 12-year blockade of Houthi-controlled ports and airports.
This declaration came amidst renewed violence in Yemen, specifically following an airstrike on the international airport in Sanaa by the internationally recognized Yemeni government —an attack the Houthis blamed on Saudi Arabia.
The Houthi group warned shipping
companies via email that they should not load or discharge cargo at Saudi Arabian ports, threatening that such activity could result in the vessels being targeted “in any location” within their reach.
Strategic Implications and the Global Economy
The Red Sea and its southern gateway, the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, are critical arteries for global commerce.
Approximately 12 to 15 percent of international seaborne trade, valued
at over $1 trillion annually, transits the waterway. The strait, which is just 29 kilometers (18 miles) wide at its narrowest point, sees the passage of millions of barrels of oil and refined
petroleum products daily.
The Houthi blockade presents a severe threat to Saudi Arabia’s primary alternative route for exporting oil.
With the United States effectively blockading the Strait of Hormuz in the
Gulf following the outbreak of the US-Israel war on Iran in February 2026, Riyadh has relied heavily on its 1,200- kilometer East-West Pipeline (Petroline) to transport millions of barrels of crude oil per day from the Gulf coast to the Red Sea port of Yanbu.
The recent closure of Hormuz forced Saudi Red Sea exports to surge to roughly 3.8 to 4 million barrels per day.
Closing the Bab al-Mandeb strait alongside Hormuz could effectively block up to 25 percent of the world’s oil and gas supply.
This prospect sent global oil prices surging. Following the Houthi claims, Brent crude futures rose more than 6 percent, breaking through the $100-a- barrel threshold for the first time since May 2026.
The African Union’s Strong Response
The deterioration of maritime security in the Red Sea has drawn immediate and forceful condemnation from the African Union (AU).
On July 23, 2026, the Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, issued a statement strongly condemning the attacks on the commercial oil tankers.
Chairperson Youssouf described the actions as a “dangerous escalation with serious implications for regional peace and security.”
He expressed the full solidarity of the African Union with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, reaffirming Union’s unwavering support for the kingdom’s security, sovereignty, and stability.
The Chairperson emphasized that the security of maritime routes in the Red Sea is of vital strategic importance to the African continent.
He warned that any disruption of commercial shipping risks undermining regional maritime connectivity, destabilizing global supply chains, and threatening the economic interests of numerous African states whose trade
depends on safe and uninterrupted access to these sea lanes.
“The security of maritime routes in the Red Sea is of vital strategic importance to Africa.
Any disruption of commercial shipping risks undermining regional maritime connectivity, global supply chains, energy security and the economic interests of numerous African States whose trade depends on safe, secure, uninterrupted access to these sea lanes.”
The AU leadership called upon the Houthis to immediately cease all attacks against commercial shipping and fully respect international law governing maritime navigation.
Furthermore, the AU reiterated its support for all regional and international efforts aimed at de-escalating the conflict and advancing a peaceful, negotiated resolution.
International Escalation
The Red Sea crisis is unfolding against the backdrop of a broader, intensifying conflict.
The U.S. military, under President Trump, has been conducting consecutive nights of airstrikes against Iran, aiming to degrade its ability to threaten commercial vessels.
Concurrently, Iran has retaliated by targeting U.S. military assets in allied nations such as Jordan, Kuwait, and
Bahrain.
President Trump has issued stark warnings, stating that the United States will hold Iran accountable for Houthi attacks, declaring the rebels to be proxies of Tehran.
He further threatened to destroy Iranian civilian infrastructure, such as bridges or power plants, each time Iran attacks a ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
As the US-Iran conflict deepens and the Houthis enforce their blockade, the Red Sea remains a volatile flashpoint, threatening to choke off global trade routes and inflate energy costs worldwide.
The African Union’s intervention underscores that the consequences of
this maritime warfare extend far beyond the Middle East, directly impacting the economic stability and security of the African continent.