Houthis threaten to target US-linked tankers, despite Washington truce

Exxon Mobil and Chevron among companies singled out by rebels

Dutch cargo ship the Minervagracht was struck by the Houthis on Monday. AP

The Houthis have said they will impose "sanctions" on major US oil companies “in accordance with the principle of confrontation”, raising fears they will begin attacking US-linked ships despite a truce with Washington.

The Sanaa-based Humanitarian Operations Co-ordination Centre, which liaises between Houthi forces and commercial shipping operators, on Tuesday said it was placing sanctions on 13 US companies, including Exxon Mobil and Chevron, as well as nine executives and two vessels.

They “shall be dealt with in accordance with the principle of confrontation”, the centre said on its website.

It is unclear what form Houthi sanctions would take. While the rebels control parts of Yemen, they are not internationally recognised as an authority.

“The ultimate goal of the sanctions is not punishment in itself, but to bring about positive behavioural change,” it added.

The announcement said the companies, which also include ConocoPhillips, have been sanctioned in retaliation for US sanctions imposed on the Houthis earlier this year, the centre said.

“It remains unclear whether these sanctions signal that the Houthis will begin targeting vessels linked to the sanctioned organisations, companies, and individuals – a move that would risk violating the ceasefire agreement with the Trump administration,” independent Middle East analyst Mohammed Albasha said in a LinkedIn post.

A mural on a wall in Sanaa depicts a Houthi fighter stopping an Israeli ship off the coast of Yemen. EPA

Mr Albasha is the founder of US-based Risk Advisory Basha Report.

Since 2023, the Houthis have launched numerous strikes on vessels in the Red Sea that they deem to be linked with Israel, in what they say is a campaign of solidarity with the Palestinians over Israel's war in Gaza.

This week the Houthis struck a Dutch cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden, injuring two crew and leaving the vessel ablaze and adrift. On Wednesday they confirmed they were responsible for the strike against the Minervagracht.

Operation Aspides personnel transport a casualty from the Houthi attack on the Minervagracht in the Gulf of Aden. Reuters

A Houthi military representative said the assault on Monday was carried out with a cruise missile. The attack injured two sailors and forced a helicopter evacuation of the ship's 19 crew members, according to the EU maritime mission Aspides and the vessel's operator.

The Houthis said they attacked the Minervagracht because its owner breached “the entry ban to the ports of occupied Palestine”.

It was the first Houthi strike on a commercial ship since September 1, when they attacked Israeli-owned tanker Scarlet Ray near Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port city of Yanbu.

In July, the Houthis attacked and sank the Magic Seas bulk carrier and Eternity C cargo ship in the Red Sea.

The last significant Houthi attack in the Gulf of Aden was on the Singapore-flagged Lobivia container ship in July last year.

In May, the US agreed a ceasefire with the Houthis after an intense bombing campaign against the group by Washington, but the agreement did not include Israel.