Image for representation purposes only Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Monday announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia, saying they would block Saudi shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in response to what they described as the kingdom’s long-running blockade of Yemen and a recent attack on Sanaa International Airport. The announcement has raised concerns about security in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes. It also comes as Saudi Arabia uses its East-West Pipeline to export crude oil through the Red Sea as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the maritime ban would take effect immediately, describing it as an “equation of an eye for an eye.” He did not explain how the embargo would be enforced. Nasruddin Amer, deputy head of the Houthi media office, said on X that the Bab el-Mandeb Strait would be closed to Saudi shipping in response to what he called Saudi Arabia’s “unjust blockade on Yemenis for over 10 years.” The Bab el-Mandeb, located at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. About 12% of global trade passes through the waterway, while around a quarter of the world’s container trade moves through the 32-kilometre (20-mile) strait on routes to and from the Suez Canal. The Houthis have previously disrupted shipping in the area, attacking more than 100 vessels during the Israel-Hamas war. It remains unclear whether the group plans to resume attacks on that scale against Saudi-linked shipping. Saudi Arabia had not immediately responded to the announcement. Saudi Arabia has been using its East-West Pipeline to transport millions of barrels of crude oil a day to the Red Sea after Iran imposed restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Feb. 28. Texas-based Rystad Energy said about 2.5 million barrels of oil per day could be at risk if sh