Global energy is coming under increasing strain as Saudi Arabia was forced to suspend its East-West Pipeline, and the Houthis captured the remainder of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline. With approximately 12 million barrels per day flowing through the Strait of Hormuz, including during the daytime, Iran's "Axis of Resistance" has turned its sights on the Arabian Peninsula to exert economic pressure. Over the past month, Brent's price has risen 17.55%, with Brent Crude reaching $107 and diesel in the U.S. exceeding $6 per gallon for the first time ever.
On 10 September, several drones launched from Iraq struck Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline and nearby pumping stations south of Medina, in Medina Province. Saudi authorities suspended pipeline operations, as officials claim that repairs will take three to five weeks. The East-West Pipeline served as the primary method for Saudi oil to bypass the contested Strait of Hormuz, with flows estimated around 5.5 million barrels per day.
On 16 September, in the early hours (local time), Saudi Arabia briefly issued security alerts for Mecca, Jeddah, and several other locations, its widest-ranging warnings since the conflict resumed in August. The Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen has claimed responsibility for several significant attacks on Saudi Arabia in the past week, including a strike on an air base on 14 September that it said was carried out in response to airstrikes in Yemen. Saudi Arabian military spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Maliki accused the Houthis of targeting the holy city of Mecca, asserting that Saudi forces intercepted the drone before it could reach Mecca’s airspace. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree denied the group's targeting of Mecca, asserting that the Houthis are only targeting Saudi oil facilities and military bases.
Global Guardian recommends firms carefully consider travel to the region amid risk of renewed conflict in the near term.
- Global Guardian advises against non-essential travel to southern Saudi Arabia, including the provinces of Aseer, Jazan, and Najran.
- Firms with planned travel to Saudi Arabia should closely monitor the situation in Yemen.
The Houthis now have de facto control over Yemen’s Red Sea shoreline, stretching through the mouth of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the island of Perim, which splits Bab el-Mandeb into two narrow channels. This gives the militant group an opportunity to employ a wider range of weapons to threaten Red Sea shipping should it choose. While unconfirmed, the Houthis have allegedly deployed mines in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Between 10 and 13 September, the Houthis conducted a coastal offensive facing little resistance on the ground and captured the strategic port of Mocha. Yet, Houthi control of Yemen’s Red Sea littorals is contested. Saudi forces claim to have conducted 129 airstrikes on 12 and 13 September in the area, and Houthi forces have redeployed inland where they are less visible and vulnerable to Saudi airpower. The Houthis still maintain that the group’s Red Sea embargo is confined to Saudi-associated shipping, but it is unclear for how long. Between 2023 and 2025, the Houthis attacked over 170 vessels that they claimed were linked to Israel, though the vast majority had no such ties.
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