Saudi Arabia has temporarily halted all oil shipments through a key waterway after Yemen's Iran-aligned Huthi rebels attacked two crude vessels, officials said on Wednesday. "All oil shipments through Bab al-Mandab Strait have been suspended temporarily until... maritime transit through the area is safe," Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said in a statement released by state media.
Two oil tankers operated by the Saudi shipping group Bahri, each with a two million barrels capacity, were attacked by Huthi rebels in the Red Sea, state giant Aramco said in a statement. "One of the ships sustained minimal damage. No injuries nor oil spill have been reported," Aramco said. The oil giant said the decision to suspend shipments was "in the interest of the safety of ships and their crews and to avoid the risk of oil spill."
Earlier, the pro-Huthi Al-Masirah television said that the rebels had targeted a Saudi warship named Al-Dammam, without providing further details. The coalition has repeatedly raised alarm that Huthi rebels threaten vessels in the Red Sea - a key shipping route for world trade - through their control of the strategic Hodeida port.
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