Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility Wednesday for a cruise missile attack that left a Dutch-flagged cargo ship ablaze and adrift in the Gulf of Aden. The strike, which seriously damaged the Minervagracht and injured two crew members, marked the most significant escalation in months by the group outside the Red Sea corridor.
The Iran-backed Houthi insurgents in Yemen have announced so-called “sanctions” against 13 major American oil companies, including ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and Marathon Petroleum. The announcement was made Tuesday through the group’s “Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center,” a front used by the militants to issue threats under the guise of diplomatic language.
The US oil and gas infrastructure crisis appears to be worse than originally thought, with the impact of the Texas storm earlier this year highlighting major problems.