DUBAI — Yemen’s Houthi militants say they have attacked two oil tankers in the Red Sea after the US launched its 12th consecutive night of strikes on Iran.Iranian state media said two people had been killed in the US strikes on Wednesday, and a tanker caught fire in an explosion in a mined route in the Strait of Hormuz.Ahead of the latest round of strikes, US President Donald Trump had threatened to destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant if Iran attacked a ship in the strait and to “take care of” the Houthis if they blocked the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the Red Sea.Threats from the militant group this week to block the key shipping waterway and the gateway to the Red Sea risk cutting off a crucial alternative path for Mideast oil and further destabilizing a global energy market upended by the war in Iran.An attack on the Saudi-owned vessel Encelia in the Red Sea caused a fire, Al Ekhbariya reported early on Thursday, adding that no crew members were injured in the incident.“The relevant authorities have taken all necessary measures to secure the vessel, safeguard its crew, and protect the marine environment,” the report said, citing an official at theSaudi Transport General Authority.The official added: “Such attacks violate international law and established norms that guarantee the safety of commercial shipping and its crews.”Earlier the British naval security monitor UKMTO said that a tanker reported being struck by a projectile about 70 nautical miles southwest of Al-Shuqaiq, on Saudi Arabia’s west coast. The attack caused a fire but no casualties, it said.British maritime risk management group Vanguard also reported that the Saudi tanker Encelia had been hit, according to Reuters.Yemen’s Houthi rebels have said they are imposing a naval blockade on the Kingdom, an action widely criticized by countries in the region.The attack on a Saudi-owned vessel is the first since the Iran-backed group announced its “maritime embargo”.The Houthis named the tankers as the Encelia and the Layla, though neither their responsibility, nor the attack on the Layla has been confirmed.The group’s military spokesperson Yahya Saree said they had targeted the ships with drones and missiles for allegedly violating its naval blockade.Saree added that the Houthis promised to continue their naval operations and would continue “enforcing the ‘siege for a siege’ equation”.US Central Command (Centcom) said at 21:30 GMT it had launched strikes at Trump’s direction “to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters”.Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain soon reported responding to airborne threats, before Iran’s military said they had targeted US assets in all three countries, according to AFP.Iranian state media reported two people had been killed in US strikes on the country’s south near its border with Iraq border.Meanwhile, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) said the Strait of Hormuz was “completely closed” after an explosion in the channel, Reuters reported.The IRGC said it had stopped three oil tankers from passing through the strait.One tanker caught fire and two others turned back after attempting to pass through a mined route south of the Strait, according to Iranian state media.It comes after Trump promised earlier on Wednesday to attack an Iranian bridge or power plant if its forces hit ships in the Strait of Hormuz.Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later warned of an “eye for an eye” response to attacks on Iran.On Tuesday, Trump told reporters he would “take care of the Houthis” should they obstruct the Red Sea as they had said.Few details of the “maritime embargo” were given by the Houthis when it was announced on Monday, but a media official said they were closing the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea’s southern gateway.The Red Sea has become crucial for oil shipments from Saudi Arabia during the US-Israeli war with Iran, which has led to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf.Now, the threat from the Houthis risks further disruption to international shipping, with hostilities in the region having already led to global fuel prices fluctuating significantly.So far, seven oil tankers have made U-turns close to Yemen since the embargo. Saree claimed that the Houthis have “forced approximately ten ships to retreat and return”.The disruption in the Red Sea comes as peace negotiations have effectively stalled between the US and Iran.The two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in June to halt military operations and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as well as to reach an agreement to end the war over the following 60 days.But three weeks after it was signed, Trump declared the ceasefire “over” after Iranian attacks on ships in Hormuz, and US strikes in response.
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