Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement has threatened to widen the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran after announcing a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia, raising concerns about a broader regional war and further disruption to global energy supplies.

For much of the past five months of fighting between Washington and Tehran, Yemen remained largely on the sidelines despite the Houthis’ close ties to Iran.

That changed on Monday when the group declared a blockade targeting Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally, signaling the potential opening of a new front in the escalating Middle East conflict.

The announcement has heightened concerns over security in one of the world’s most strategically important regions for global oil exports, with analysts warning that any disruption involving Saudi Arabia could place additional pressure on international energy markets.

The Houthis, formally known as the Ansar Allah movement, emerged from Yemen’s northern highlands and seized control of the capital, Sana’a, more than a decade ago with support from Iran.

In response, Saudi Arabia led a military coalition that launched an intervention in 2015 aimed at restoring Yemen’s internationally recognized government and driving the Houthis from power.

The campaign failed to achieve its objectives and instead evolved into a prolonged civil war that devastated Yemen, triggering one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Although the conflict has eased in recent years through periods of reduced fighting and diplomatic engagement, the Houthis continue to control large parts of northern Yemen, including the capital.

Their latest declaration raises the prospect that Yemen could become a more active battleground in the wider confrontation between the United States and Iran, potentially drawing additional regional actors into the conflict.

Security analysts warn that any expansion of hostilities involving the Houthis could further threaten maritime trade routes and energy infrastructure across the Gulf region, compounding existing instability caused by the fighting elsewhere in the Middle East.