Days after declaring the Bab al-Mandeb (BAM) Strait closed to Saudi vessels, the Houthis of Yemen claim to have struck two ships in the Red Sea. The United Kingdom’s Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) group has confirmed an attack on at least one vessel in that area.
“The Yemeni armed forces have carried out a significant military operation targeting two Saudi oil tankers that violated the ban imposed by the armed forces in the Red Sea,” the Houthis claimed on Telegram. “The operation involved a number of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones. Thanks to God’s help, the strikes were accurate and caused a large fire on both vessels.”
TWZ cannot independently verify the Houthi claim. However, in a post on X, UKMTO stated that a master of an oil tanker “reports being struck by an unknown projectile which has caused a fire onboard that the crew are currently fighting.”
The incident took place 70NM southwest of Al Shuqaiq, Saudi Arabia, the organization added. “There are no reported casualties and no environmental impact. Authorities are investigating. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.”
UKMTO WARNING 095-26
Click here to view the full report
https://t.co/x8HDIFOC10#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/DKXZOYVA4g
— UKMTO Operations Centre (@UK_MTO) July 22, 2026
The increasing tensions on the BAM come as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to destroy Iranian bridges and power plants each time Iran hits a ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz, which has been a major flashpoint of tit-for-tat exchanges of fire. Trump also threatened that he will retaliate for the deaths of three U.S. Army soldiers during a July 17 attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base (MSAB) in Jordan. He made those statements at a dignified transfer ceremony for the soldiers, plus one killed in Iraq, at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware today.
The incident in the Red Sea took place a day after the U.S. Navy warned that the Houthis had moved weapons near the BAM.
“Recent Houthi statements indicated a readiness to target shipping (specifically Saudi-affiliated) if directed,” the Navy’s Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) warned on Tuesday. “According to regional reporting, Iran has instructed the Houthis to stand ready to close the Red Sea oil route should the United States strike Iranian power infrastructure.”
“Sources close to the group stated that the Houthis have completed preparations to attack shipping, including the deployment of missiles and drones positioned near Bab al-Mandeb.”
The Houthis have also “told shipping companies not to load or discharge cargo at Saudi Arabian ports or they may be targeted, according to an email the group sent to companies,” Reuters reported.
As we have frequently detailed, a Houthi blockade of the BAM threatens to add further pressure on oil exports from the Middle East, already drastically affected by the Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the resumption of the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports. Saudi Arabia has diverted millions of barrels of oil per day through pipelines to its Yanbu port on the Red Sea in an effort to minimize the energy shortages due to the hostilities in the Persian Gulf. This also raised the specter of the U.S. having to get as involved as it did during the previous Houthi campaign against shipping that ended last September, which could pull resources away from Iranian-focused operations.
Before the attack claim, global trade intelligence firm Kpler pointed out on X that while traffic continues through both straits, “operational confidence remains under pressure.”
“Traffic declined sharply across both chokepoints on 21 July, with Strait of Hormuz crossings down 31% day-on-day to nine vessels and Bab al-Mandeb down 34% to 29 amid a worsening security backdrop,” Kpler added. “Four confirmed vessel U-turns near the Gulf of Aden suggest operators are becoming more cautious following Houthi threats against Saudi-linked shipping. At the same time, confirmed maritime attacks continue around the Strait of Hormuz, reinforcing concerns that uncertainty across both regional chokepoints could reshape routing decisions, increase freight costs and sustain higher geopolitical risk premiums for energy markets.”
As noted earlier in this piece, Trump visited Dover Air Force Base to take part in the dignified transfer ceremony honoring Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Hawaii, Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Texas, Sgt. Angel Rampersad, 28, of New York and Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of North Carolina.
Feehan, Gonzales and Rampersad were killed during the July 17 Iranian barrage of MSAB. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) previously announced Rampersad as missing, but her status was updated to a Duty Status–Whereabouts Unknown and she is believed to be deceased.
Swinton was killed during a controlled detonation of a downed One-Way Unmanned Aerial System on July 19, 2026, at Erbil Air Base, Iraq.
Feehan’s family, from Georgia, was given a ride back to that state on VC-25B, which was heading there for Trump’s next appearance.
.@POTUS attends the dignified transfer of the four American Patriots killed in the Middle East.
1st Lt. Tyler Feehan
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 22, 2026
Speaking to reporters, Trump said his administration would share the results of the investigation into the MSAB attack and vowed that Iran would “pay a big price.”
Those comments followed an earlier statement the president posted on Truth Social vowing to target key infrastructure sites each time Iran strikes a ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
“From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran,” Trump proclaimed.
Not surprisingly, Iranian officials reacted to Trump’s comments by issuing their own threats in response.
“Iran will retaliate against regional infrastructure and energy facilities with American interests if the United States strikes any Iranian bridge or power plant, responding directly to a new threat from US President Donald Trump,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-connected Tasnim news agency stated on X.
Earlier on Wednesday, Jordanian officials said the country was once again targeted by Iran.
“An official military source at the General Command of the Jordanian Armed Forces—Arab Army stated that air defense systems detected six missiles coming from Iranian territory targeting the Kingdom’s territory today, and engaged them immediately upon their entry into Jordanian airspace,” the Jordanian military stated on X. “Air defenses intercepted and shot down four missiles, while the other two fell in two remote, uninhabited areas, without causing any casualties or material damage.”
“The Kingdom’s airspace is under continuous operational monitoring, and the Armed Forces will deal with any aerial threat targeting Jordanian territory according to the applicable rules of engagement, in a manner that ensures the protection of the Kingdom’s sovereignty and the safety of its citizens,” officials added.
Iranian media posted video it claimed showed a direct hit by a drone on the Jordanian port city of Aqaba. TWZ cannot independently verify the claim.
The situation in Jordan is so intense that the U.S. Embassy in Amman issued a security alert.
“President Trump, Secretary of State Rubio, and the Department of State have no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens,” the embassy cautioned on X. “We remind U.S. citizens that Iran has attacked civilian and critical infrastructure across the Middle East, including hotels, airports, diplomatic facilities, and other civilian locations.”
Over the course of the past 12 days, Iran has lobbed missiles and drones at several Arab nations, taking particular aim at U.S. military installations.
Satellite imagery continues to emerge on social media purporting to show damage at these bases. The images below claim to show a 117-FPS radar at Al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait destroyed by an Iranian barrage. While the image clearly shows what appears to be a radome destroyed, TWZ cannot independently verify the date, location or provenance of the imagery. CENTCOM, which does not talk about battle damage, declined comment.
Imagery has also emerged purporting to show that U.S. Air Force aerial refueling tankers and other aircraft have evacuated Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest American base in the region. Again, we cannot confirm the details and CENTCOM, which also does not typically talk about the movements of assets, declined comment.
However, Axios reported last week that the Trump administration “notified Israel it is sending dozens more refueling planes to the country ahead of a potential expansion of military operations against Iran.”
“Israeli officials say the U.S. wants to send several dozen more refueling planes in the coming days, bringing the number of planes to the same level it had at the beginning of the war,” Axios added. “Israeli officials say the U.S. military prefers operating the refueling planes from Ben Gurion Airport, because other air bases in the region are more exposed to Iranian attacks and less safe for U.S. planes. At the moment, the Iranians are still deterred from launching attacks on Israel, because it will likely trigger a massive retaliation.”
The U.S. still sits ready to conduct long-range bomber strikes from bases in the U.S. and the U.K.
There were recent unconfirmed claims by open-source trackers that B-1B Lancer bombers out of RAF Fairford in England took part in yesterday’s attacks on Iran. Again, we cannot verify that and CENTCOM declined comment.
Bomber Run 63 – Ops Beginning Again? #IranWar #FreeIran
Overnight, B-1B “Lancer” bombers flying from RAF Fairford (EGVA) conducted strikes in Iran as the US ramps up operations again. Although 2 bombers launched, it appears it was pre-planned that only 1 of them would… pic.twitter.com/Q7Ic3Ahqk3
— DefenceGeek
(@DefenceGeek) July 22, 2026
However, Israel’s KAN news outlet claimed that “Israel has been informed by the United States that it intends to escalate attacks on Iran in the coming days and to carry out attacks using heavy bombers for the first time in the current escalation.”
In addition, other U.S. Air Force assets – including EA-37B Compass Call electronic warfare jets – appear headed to the region, according to online flight trackers. While we don’t know for sure these jets will actually head to the Middle East, it could be another sign of the U.S. bolstering assets ahead of an increase in intensity of attacks, which have been largely focused over the past 12 days on Iranian coastal targets.
More Assets on the Move #IranWar
Two of the EA-37B “Compass Call II” aircraft are en-route as it happens, with a number of tankers from Hawaii also moving forwards to the US East Coast likely ahead of crossing the Atlantic tomorrow:EA-37B “FAZE21” 19-5591 #AE1436 “DM”
EA-37B… https://t.co/jchVQ70sgy pic.twitter.com/InIbS8TfcH— DefenceGeek
Amid these rising tensions with Iran, the Houthis have now apparently raised the stakes and it will be absolutely critical to keep the BAM open as the world already sits on the razor’s edge of a full-on energy crisis.
UPDATE: 7:17 PM EDT –
CENTCOM announced a new round of attacks on Iran.
“At 5:30 p.m. ET today, U.S. forces began launching more strikes against Iranian military targets at the Commander in Chief’s direction,” the command stated on X. “The mission will continue to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters.”
Contact the author: howard@twz.com
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