The Houthis Said They Keep Hitting Saudi Oil Infrastructure. That Could Spell More Trouble For Global Supply

The Iran-backed Houthis claimed to have struck crude oil supply and transport sites that connect eastern Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea.

The attacks, which have not been confirmed by Riyadh, could further disrupt Saudi Arabia's strategy to avoid the Strait of Hormuz as much as possible as the U.S. and Iran continue to clash there.

Reuters reported that the Houthis said they had managed to hit the important Red Sea oil export hub of Yanbu in response to Saudi drones entering Yemeni airspace. Aramco, did not comment on the veracity of the claim.

With shipping through the Strait of Hormuz disrupted, Saudia Arabia has used a pipeline to reroute its oil to the Yanbu port avoid the Strait for the last five months.

Tech Times reported that the Houthis attacked the Saudi Aramco refinery complex in Jizan on Saturday, setting it on fire. The Houthis also attacked the Yanbu export terminal. The website added that the Jizan strikes and resulting fire was confirmed by NASA imagery.

Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the faction had targeted "sensitive Aramco-affiliated facilities in Jizan with dozens of ballistic missiles and drones," Tech Times reported. He also said, according to the website, that "sensitive Aramco-affiliated facilities in Yanbu with a number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones."

In the meantime, President Donald Trump warned of "very strong military action" against Iran if talks between the countries are unfruitful.

Speaking to Axios, Trump said the U.S. is in "very deep talks" with Tehran but promised to escalate significantly if they don't yield results soon.

Asked how long he will give for diplomacy, he replied: "Not much time. Either it goes fast or not at all."

The U.S. has not conducted new attacks since Friday, leading Iran to hold its own military action, which has targeted different Gulf countries.

Axios detailed in another report that Brad Cooper, the commander of the U.S. Military Central Command (CENTCOM), said the current campaign hit its limit of effectiveness.

The outlet noted that Cooper recommended the U.S. stop bombing Iranian assets around the Strait of Hormuz as a result, playing a role in President Donald Trump's decision to halt attacks.

"All of the people that deal with Iran asked me: 'Don't fire,'" Trump told Axios on Monday, noting that he believes Tehran wants to make a deal.

However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran is not seeking more talks with the U.S.

He went on to say that Tehran still controls the Strait of Hormuz, where it has been targeting ships that do not coordinate passage with its forces. Iran will seek to charge tolls for passage.