Houthis Claim Strikes on Saudi Tankers, Trump Warns Iran
Yemen's Houthis said through the SABA agency they had hit two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. Washington is threatening retaliation and blaming Tehran as oil prices climb.
- Yemen's Houthis said through the SABA agency they had struck two Saudi oil tankers, the Encelia and the Layla, in the Red Sea; independent confirmation of the number and the names is still missing, with reports pointing to at least one Saudi tanker hit.
- The attack opens a new front in the maritime war and threatens to sever another oil-export route while the Strait of Hormuz is already blockaded.
- Oil prices jumped, with benchmark Brent reaching more than 96 dollars a barrel, its highest level since early June.
- Washington threatened a military response against the Houthis and blamed Tehran for the attacks.
For Serbia, which receives crude oil and refined products through the Adriatic corridor and Mediterranean routes, every fresh fire in the Red Sea means a costlier tank and a more anxious energy calculus. That is why the Houthi claim of striking two Saudi oil tankers is not a distant story but a direct pressure point on European fuel prices and on the already strained position of the domestic market, which operates under the shadow of the American sanctions regime against the national oil company NIS.
Through their SABA agency, the Houthis announced that they had hit tankers named the Encelia and the Layla and that fires had broken out on both. Independent confirmation of those claims is so far lacking, and available reports point to at least one Saudi tanker hit, while the condition of the vessels remains unverified. Whatever the precise tally, the rebels’ message is clear: they are opening a new front in the maritime war and threatening to cut yet another artery of oil exports.
The Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz together form the backbone of the world’s energy transport. The strait is already blockaded, so an attack on Saudi tankers in the Red Sea further narrows the room for shippers on both sides of the Arabian Peninsula. Markets reacted quickly: oil prices climbed, and benchmark Brent reached more than 96 dollars a barrel, the highest level since early June.
Why does a new route under fire matter to Serbia?
Serbia has no sea access and depends on crude imports through the Adriatic pipeline and Mediterranean ports, whose transport costs rise the moment the geopolitical reality in the Gulf shifts. A costlier barrel reaches the pumps quickly, and rising energy prices push inflation at a moment when the National Bank of Serbia is weighing every move. On top of that, the American sanctions regime against NIS limits room to maneuver, so the domestic market absorbs external shocks less easily than it did a year ago.
Washington threatens, Tehran in focus
The White House responded sharply. President Donald Trump threatened the Houthis with a heavy military penalty if attacks on shipping continue and signaled that he would also seek accountability from Tehran, which Washington views as the rebels’ patron. The Iranian factor raises the stakes: any widening of the conflict to a state actor would turn a local maritime incident into a regional crisis with transatlantic consequences.
European capitals are watching with unease, since the Red Sea mission has for months protected merchant convoys, and every new attack raises the question of how far that defense can stretch. Shippers are not waiting for political decisions: many are already rerouting far from the Red Sea and Hormuz, choosing longer and costlier paths around Africa and, in doing so, further raising the price of goods that reach European, and Serbian, shelves.
If the maritime corridors stay under fire, how long can Serbia keep fuel prices steady before the blow from the Red Sea reaches every pump?
