{"id":4579,"date":"2026-07-20T22:37:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T22:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=4579"},"modified":"2026-07-20T22:37:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T22:37:10","slug":"houthi-blockade-opens-new-front-in-middle-east-war-even-as-mediators-work-to-salvage-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=4579","title":{"rendered":"Houthi blockade opens new front in Middle East war even as mediators work to salvage peace"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>The Houthis, a Yemen-based rebel faction backed by Iran, announced a new blockade of the Red Sea on Monday, potentially opening a new front in the U.S.-Iran war even as Pakistani and Qatari mediators work to broker a ceasefire.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=4577\">Trump slaps 50% tariffs on new list of Canadian goods in response to boycotts of U.S. alcohol, dairy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said in a video statement that the group would immediately impose a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, which borders the Red Sea.<\/p>\n<p>Houthi-affiliated media confirmed the blockade would take effect immediately, saying it was in response to what the group called Saudi Arabia\u2019s illegal \u201cblockade on Yemenis for over 10 years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Houthis control much of southwestern Yemen and maintain effective command over the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a critical Red Sea chokepoint. Houthi militants previously targeted commercial vessels transiting the strait in response to Israel\u2019s assault on Gaza following the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023.<\/p>\n<p>The Saudis have relied on their East-West Pipeline to bypass the Strait of Hormuz and redirect oil to the Red Sea port of Yanbu.<\/p>\n<p>It remains unclear whether the Houthis can effectively execute a blockade, but any disruption to Saudi Arabia \u2014 the world\u2019s largest oil exporter \u2014 could push up U.S. gasoline and energy prices.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><strong><\/p>\n<p>    SEE ALSO: Iran\u2019s chief negotiator chastises U.S. for moving new military equipment to the region<\/p>\n<p>  <\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Even short of actual attacks, the mere threat to oil tankers in the strait could be enough to deter shipping companies and insurers from authorizing vessel transits.<\/p>\n<p>Should Bab al-Mandeb be effectively closed by the Houthis, it would eliminate one of the few remaining alternative pathways for Gulf nations to move oil to the rest of the world.<\/p>\n<p>Iran has kept the Strait of Hormuz \u2014 another critical chokepoint, connecting the Gulf of Oman to the Persian Gulf \u2014 largely closed since March in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli strikes. The closure has put enormous pressure on global energy markets, given that at least 20% of the world\u2019s oil supply moves through that strait each year.<\/p>\n<p>Traffic through the strait had improved in late June after Iran and the U.S. agreed to a ceasefire under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, but Iran has since closed the waterway again, and shipping has slowed to a crawl.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. has also reinstituted a naval blockade of Iran\u2019s ports, hampering Tehran\u2019s ability to sell oil and further restricting global energy supply.<\/p>\n<p>The Houthis\u2019 entry comes as the U.S. and Iran continue to escalate their military confrontation across the region.<\/p>\n<p><strong><\/p>\n<p>      SEE ALSO: Is Mojtaba Khamenei still in Iran? Supreme leader\u2019s whereabouts unclear as speculation grows<\/p>\n<p>    <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Overnight, the U.S. launched strikes on Iran for the eighth consecutive day, targeting critical infrastructure such as desalination and power plants. American forces have also inflicted significant damage on Iranian radar installations, surveillance hubs, and command-and-control centers.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East, has maintained that the primary purpose of the strikes is to degrade Iran\u2019s ability to hit ships in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=4575\">Defense industry developing lower-cost Patriot interceptors to counter growth of cheap enemy drones<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Iran, for its part, has struck U.S. military installations across the region, focusing particularly on assets in the smaller Arab Gulf nations.<\/p>\n<p>Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Monday that its forces had targeted U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait.<\/p>\n<p>Officials said the strikes \u2014 aimed at U.S. facilities used to maintain drones and prepare naval vessels for special forces operations \u2014 caused major damage. The Pentagon has not officially confirmed the claim.<\/p>\n<p>Jordan\u2019s military separately reported intercepting three Iranian missiles on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>Since fighting resumed earlier this month, Iranian missiles and drones have struck targets in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Syria and Iraq.<\/p>\n<p>Iranian strikes over the weekend killed two U.S. soldiers stationed in Jordan.<\/p>\n<p>A third service member was reported missing after the strike. U.S. Central Command said Sunday that \u201cunidentified remains\u201d had been found at the site. Verification is ongoing, military officials said, but the discovery could mean the death toll from the Iranian strike will rise to three.<\/p>\n<p>Separately, CENTCOM said another service member was killed in Iraq on Saturday during the \u201ccontrolled detonation\u201d of a downed Iranian drone.<\/p>\n<p>The weekend casualties were the first U.S. combat deaths in the Iran war since March.<\/p>\n<p>At least 17 Americans have been killed in combat since the war began on Feb. 28, according to Pentagon data, with more than 400 wounded.<\/p>\n<p>The deaths could signal yet another escalation in the war between the U.S. and Iran. President Trump said Monday that he had directed his top defense officials to severely punish Iran for every American service member killed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery time Iran kills an American soldier, they will pay for that killing many times over! This directive has been passed on to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Daniel Caine, and every leader in the military,\u201d Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.<\/p>\n<p>Still, diplomacy between the two nations is reportedly not entirely dead. Pakistani and Qatari mediators are said to be working steadily behind the scenes to deliver peace proposals to both sides that could yield a temporary ceasefire and, eventually, a return to the memorandum of understanding.<\/p>\n<p>Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesman for Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry, confirmed Monday that his country had received several proposals from mediators tied to a potential 10-day ceasefire with the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>He insisted, however, that Iran\u2019s diplomatic track is closely tied to its self-defense posture, and declined to reveal further details.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI reiterate that the diplomatic apparatus, in coordination with the defenders of the homeland in the Armed Forces, is pursuing its duties,\u201d Mr. Baqaei said in comments carried by state-affiliated media. \u201cThe proposals put forward through mediators have been conveyed to us, and we have received them. However, I would rather not go into their details at this stage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=4574\">Lindsey Graham\u2019s sister running for a full term with Trump\u2019s endorsement<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Houthis, a Yemen-based rebel faction backed by Iran, announced a new blockade of the Red Sea on Monday, potentially opening a new front in the U.S.-Iran war even as Pakistani and Qatari mediators work to broker a ceasefire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4578,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-world"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Houthi blockade opens new front in Middle East war even as mediators work to salvage peace - 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