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SAUDI Arabia has rejected allegations by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement that it is besieging the Yemeni people, following the group's announcement that it would impose a maritime blockade against the kingdom.
The Houthi declaration marks a potential expansion of regional hostilities linked to the conflict involving the United States and Iran, while heightening concerns over the security of global energy supplies and international trade routes.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Houthis' armed forces declared "a maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy, based on the equation of 'an eye for an eye', effective immediately" in response to what the group described as "an unjust and oppressive siege" imposed on Yemen by Saudi Arabia.
Reuters cited Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry strongly rejecting the accusations, condemning the Houthi military spokesperson's claims that the kingdom was imposing a siege and maritime blockade on Yemen.
The ministry said Saudi Arabia would take "all necessary measures" to safeguard its vessels and protect freedom of navigation.
Yemen has been engulfed in civil war for more than a decade after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention in support of the internationally recognised government the following year.
The conflict has since developed into one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with the country effectively divided between the Saudi-backed government based in Aden and the Houthi administration controlling Sanaa.
Despite the ongoing conflict, commercial cargo vessels have continued to call at the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah, including in recent weeks, delivering food, fuel and other essential goods, according to shipping data. - July 21, 2026
