Saudi Arabia faces Iran-linked attacks on oil routes

Saudi Arabia is facing growing pressure on its oil export routes from attacks and maritime threats linked to Iran-aligned groups, analysts said, months into the Middle East war.

The pressure has come from Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea and from pro-Iran militias in Iraq targeting Saudi energy facilities. Analysts said the threats risk constraining crude exports from the world’s biggest oil exporter.

Early Wednesday, Saudi Arabia struck back. Joint US-Saudi strikes in Iraq killed 20 people, according to the alliance of former paramilitary groups and factions whose bases were targeted.

Hesham Alghannam, a Saudi security analyst and researcher, said the Houthis were targeting Saudi export infrastructure in the Red Sea while Iraqi militias targeted oil facilities inside Saudi territory. He said the combined effect was to close Saudi export corridors simultaneously.

Saudi state media has said recent Iranian strikes hit key energy installations, including refineries, petrochemical plants and power facilities, affecting oil production capacity.

Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani claimed Wednesday that the Houthis had begun working under Iranian guidance to set up a fee system for Red Sea transit. He described the alleged move as a dangerous escalation intended to turn a strategic maritime corridor into a funding source for the militia.

Analysts said Riyadh has so far tried to avoid a larger retaliation. Ali Shihabi, a political analyst close to the Saudi government, said Saudi restraint “has limits and should not be mistaken for weakness.”