Egypt condemns attack on Saudi oil tanker, reaffirms support for Kingdom

CAIRO – 25 July 2026: Egypt on Saturday condemned the attack on a Saudi oil tanker and all attacks targeting civilian facilities and means of transport or threatening maritime navigation in the Red Sea or other international waterways.

In a foreign ministry statement, Egypt expressed full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and expressed categorical rejection of all acts undermining security and stability in the region or threatening global trade flow.

The Houthis last week announced what they described as a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, threatening to disrupt the kingdom's oil exports through the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The blockade came in response to a strike by Yemen's Saudi-backed internationally recognized government on Sanaa airport, which it said was intended to prevent an unauthorized Iranian aircraft from landing in the Yemeni capital.

Since announcing the blockade, the Houthis hit at least one Saudi vessel, and on Saturday, the group's Telegram media reported a "Yemeni missile strike" that they said ignited fires in the Saudi city of Jizan.

The Houthi attack came after the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said it had carried out strikes on Houthi military positions in the Houthi-controlled Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

The escalating tensions threaten to deal a major blow to global shipping, alongside Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's seaborne oil trade passed before the US-Israeli war on Iran began in late February.

In its statement, Egypt stressed the importance of protecting and respecting freedom of navigation in the region's straits and maritime passages as a vital artery for global trade and international supply chains.

Egypt also underscored the need to uphold international law and the United Nations Charter to safeguard maritime security and preserve regional stability.