Iran’s ‘CRITICAL’ oil blockade: Red Sea CHAOS, crude PRICE SHOCK
Dagen McDowell underscored how Iran’s financing and backing of militant proxies, including Yemen’s Houthi rebels, has contributed to what she described as a maritime embargo aimed at Saudi Arabia. The escalation threatens vital oil and commercial shipping routes through the Red Sea, keeping global markets on edge over the risk of broader economic fallout.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday accused Iran of sending members of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps into Yemen by air, arguing that Tehran’s move helped fuel a fresh confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis.
“They decided to send direct flights from Tehran into Yemen, carrying IRGC elements and others into the country,” Rubio told reporters. “And the Saudis responded to it.”
Rubio did not name the flights, say how many IRGC personnel were allegedly aboard or present evidence to substantiate the claim.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a press conference on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Pasay, Metro Manila on July 22, 2026. (Brendan SMIALOWSKI / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
His comments came during the annual meeting of Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers in Manila, Philippines, where the conflict between the U.S. and Iran and mounting threats to global shipping featured prominently in security discussions.
The Houthis have announced a blockade against vessels with ties to Saudi Arabia in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a move that could expand the conflict and imperil another key artery of international trade.
The rebel group says its targets include ships linked to Saudi Arabia or traveling to and from the kingdom’s Red Sea ports, citing Saudi restrictions on Yemen and a recent strike on the airport in Sanaa, the Houthi-held capital.
Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
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The Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia for the airport attack, which they said was intended to stop a flight carrying Houthi leaders home from Iran. Rubio disputed that account and alleged that Tehran was using direct flights to transport IRGC personnel and others into Yemen.
The Houthis later launched missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport, marking one of the most serious confrontations between the two sides in years.
Rubio said U.S. officials had spoken repeatedly with Saudi officials during the past week about the Houthi threat.
“Anything that restricts shipping through the Red Sea would be problematic for the same reasons that the Strait of Hormuz is problematic,” Rubio said. “So we’re watching that closely.”
Saudi Arabia’s military has vowed to keep Bab el-Mandeb open and respond firmly to Houthi threats against commercial vessels using the waterway.
The narrow strait connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and serves as a major shipping corridor linking Europe and Asia through the Suez Canal. Around 12% of global trade and roughly one-quarter of worldwide container traffic normally pass through the route.
Its importance has grown as the U.S.-Iran conflict has sharply curtailed shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on Red Sea export routes to transport oil to international markets.
A Houthi follower looks on, during a pro-Iran demonstration, as the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran continues, in Sanaa, Yemen April 6, 2026. (Khaled Abdullah/Reuters)
The Houthi-run SABA news agency claimed six vessels had altered course after receiving warnings from the group, a claim that could not be independently verified.
The Houthis say the blockade is limited to Saudi-linked shipping. During their earlier campaign connected to the war in Gaza, however, the rebels attacked more than 100 vessels, including ships with little or no apparent connection to Israel.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the latest Houthi threat had not materialized.
“So far, it hasn’t happened,” Trump told reporters. “I think that if there is something like that, we’ll just have to take care of business.”
Rubio’s accusation came as the U.S. military carried out an 11th consecutive night of strikes against targets in Iran. U.S. Central Command said the latest targets included aircraft hangars and drone storage sites.
Speaking to Southeast Asian leaders, Rubio also warned that allowing Iran to control the Strait of Hormuz, collect tolls and attack ships that refused to comply would set a dangerous precedent for international waterways around the world.
“If we create a precedent in the Middle East where a nation state can decide that they are going to control an international waterway, charge a toll and if you don’t pay them blow up your ships, we have created a very dangerous precedent which will repeat itself in other parts of the world, including in this region,” Rubio said.
Rubio said Iran’s support for the Houthis reflects a broader pattern of backing armed groups across the Middle East.
“The Houthis, Hezbollah, the militias in Iraq, Hamas — this is what Iran spends its money on,” Rubio said. “It’s not on its people. It’s on supporting terrorist organizations and destabilizing actors in the region.”
