Arab nations have cancelled a meeting with Iranian representatives scheduled for the 14th of September, and the Houthi group in Yemen has once again launched attacks on Saudi Arabia, further threatening the flow of global oil supplies, reports Reuters.
The Iran-linked Houthis in Yemen reported launching missile and drone strikes against a Saudi air force base in Khamis Mushait, near the border. Aircraft hangars, runways, and ammunition depots were hit. The attack was reportedly in response to hundreds of strikes launched by Saudi Arabia against Yemen in recent days.
Saudi officials issued a brief emergency alert in cities that have previously faced Houthi attacks. Last week, the Houthis managed to capture an island near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. In a separate attack—which Riyadh blames on Iranian-backed militants from Iraq—Saudi Arabia’s West-East oil pipeline was damaged; this pipeline served as a key route for exporting oil from the Middle East without using the Strait of Hormuz. On the 14th of September, crude oil prices rose by more than 3%, while the price of diesel in the US—a politically sensitive commodity—climbed to an all-time high of 6.23 dollars per gallon. Oil traders have noted that the pipeline shutdown could halt approximately 4% of global oil exports. Satellite imagery shows that the damaged sections of the pipeline have caught fire. Riyadh has not yet offered a forecast regarding how long the pipeline might remain closed.
A meeting between representatives from Iran and Persian Gulf states was scheduled for the 14th of September
in Oman to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz to traffic; the strait has been effectively closed since the last day of February. However, the meeting was cancelled. Iran stated that this was done at the request of Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Iran has released a list of 77 vessels alleged to have violated protocols for navigating the Strait of Hormuz. These vessels will henceforth be barred from crossing the strait and will face penalties; they may also be detained or confiscated.
The escalation of hostilities in Yemen presents a dilemma for Washington. It faces pressure to assist its allies in Saudi Arabia but is reluctant to expand a conflict that is already proving extremely costly for the US. Saudi Arabia has been leading a coalition fighting the Houthis for over a decade. A truce had been in effect for the past couple of years, but hostilities have now resumed. Thousands of Yemenis have moved from the coast to the interior.
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