DUBAI, July 22, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have been recorded sending radio warnings to ships, the International Chamber of Shipping told AFP on Wednesday, after the rebels announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia.

On Monday, the Houthis announced a maritime embargo of Saudi Arabia, escalating the US-Iran war and threatening global oil markets by trying to hamper the top petrol exporter's ability to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

"We can confirm that the Houthis were recorded transmitting a warning message to ships in the region," the ICS said.

Christopher Long, the intelligence director at international risk management and maritime security company Neptune P2P Group, had earlier told AFP that the Houthis broadcast a message via radio to ships about the blockade.

The message "was recorded... by a ship in the Bab el Mandeb Strait" on Monday, he said.

It went as follows: "'Yemeni naval force calling you on channel 1-6, according to the decision of Yemeni armed forces in the date of July 2-0, 2-0-2-6, including prevent navigation to Saudi ships because of the constant siege to Yemeni nation, so we warn all ships belonging to Saudi enemy to proceed via the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, in case of non-compliance of Yemeni armed forces decision, those ships will be in our target, over."

The Houthis did not say how they would enforce their blockade and have so far not attacked any ships.

If enforced, the embargo could further strain Saudi Arabia's economy by cutting off access to its Red Sea ports, which have been vital for oil exports as renewed fighting limits passage through the Strait of Hormuz.