ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - If the Iran-backed Ansarullah movement in Yemen, better known as the Houthis, impose a naval blockade on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea, the United States will "have to take care of business," US President Donald Trump said Tuesday.
The remarks come a day after the Houthis' military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, declared a "maritime embargo" against Saudi vessels transiting the Red Sea, noting that the blockade is "effective immediately."
Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that "so far, it hasn't happened," but "if something like that happens, we take care of it."
He added that the Tehran-backed Yemeni group "had no problem with us for a long period of time, including during this conflict" - a reference to the Iran war - while reiterating that if the Houthis move forward with imposing a Red Sea blockade, "we'll just have to take care of business."
The Houthis' military spokesperson, Saree, on Monday cited what he said was an "unjust and oppressive siege" by Riyadh "on our ports and airports by land, sea, and air" for 12 years since the onset of the Yemen war, as the reason behind the embargo.
"We affirm the right of our great people to respond to the blockade with a blockade, and to respond to all escalation with escalation," he added.
As the Houthis control Yemen's western coastline, the blockade primarily targets the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea.
The move is specifically geared toward blocking Saudi Arabia's western maritime trade route, used to transfer crude via the East-West Pipeline across the kingdom to its major Red Sea export terminal at Yanbu.
The measures come as Riyadh's alternative routes through the Gulf are also facing ongoing disruptions near the Strait of Hormuz, due to maritime restrictions imposed by the Houthis' Iranian allies - the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
For its part, Riyadh on Monday rejected the Houthi claims of a blockade on Yemen, as the Saudi-led coalition aligned with Yemen's internationally recognized government (IRG) also warned that the Houthi measures in the Red Sea amount to 'maritime piracy' and will be met with “decisive force.”
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