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Saudi Arabia Suspends Oil Shipment through Bab Al-Mandeb

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Saudi Arabia Suspends Oil Shipment through Bab Al-Mandeb

Yemen’s Houthis claim of attacking weapon carrying Saudi vessels

Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, has temporarily suspended all oil shipments through the Bab al-Mandeb strait after two of its crude oil carrying vessels came under Yemen’s Houthi rebels attack.

The Riyadh’s move came after Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah launched retaliatory attacks on a Saudi warship and a vessel operated by the Riyadh-led coalition waging war against the country, reports Press TV.

According to Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the announcement was made by Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minsiter Khalid al-Falih on Thursday saying the kingdom would halt all oil shipment through the strait immediately.

The report said that suspension will last “until the situation becomes clearer and maritime transit through Bab al-Mandeb is safe”, al-Falih said in a statement.

Read More: Houthi warns: US and Saudi Arabia will regret in Yemen

The Saudi Energy Minister quoted a statement by official spokesman of, what they call, the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, two Saudi Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs), operated by the Saudi shipping company, Bahri, transiting through Bab-El-Mandeb Strait, were attacked in the Red Sea by the terrorist Houthi militia this (Thursday) morning.

Saudi Arabia Suspends Oil Shipment through Bab Al-Mandeb

SPA said that the two million barrels capacity for each tanker were full of crude oil cargo at the time and were headed for export. One of the VLCCs sustained minimal damage. However, fortunately, there were no injuries or oil spill that would have resulted in catastrophic environmental damage. Efforts are currently underway to move the damaged ship to the nearest Saudi port, it added.

Both sides description of the attack contradicts on the details, Houthi administration claimed that Saudi vessels were carrying weapons to be used against their territories while Saudi officials claim that the ships were simply carrying crude oil for export. Houthis also contradict on the day and time of the attack on Saudi vessels by claiming that the incident took place on Wednesday morning while Saudi official agency reported that Houthis attacked on the vessels on Thursday morning.

Read More: Saudi warship attacked by Yemen’s Houthis near Hudaydah

The Saudi Energy Minister stressed that this terrorist act deters the freedom of navigation and international trade in the Red Sea and Bab-El-Mandeb Strait.

Saudi Arabia led coalition had recently launched a fresh aggression on Yemeni port city of Hudeidah which was repulsed by Houthi Ansarullah movement, which is currently in-charge of country’s administration. However, the ousted Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi government, which is still recognised by the international community, is based in Riyadh, the Saudi capital.

https://apnlive.com/world-news/saudi-arabia-suspends-oil-shipment-through-bab-al-mandeb-47278

Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. Ali Mohsen, the Vice President in the ousted pro-Saudi government, was quoted by SPA saying that the Houthi attack against a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea waters west of the Yemeni port of Hudeidah is a “terrorist act.”

Read More: Iran alleges US complicity in Saudi-led war crimes in Yemen

Ali Mohsen has also indicated that the (Houthi) militia’s “repeated attacks with Iranian support against the international shipping ate an obstruction to the efforts that the UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths is exerting to bring about peace.”

He utilised the opportunity for justifying Saudi-led coalition’s fresh aggression on Hudeidah port city saying, “The attack further establishes the militia’s use of Hudeidah seaport as a launch-pad for their numerous terrorist operations.”

He further said that the “insistence of the government and the Arab coalition on liberating Hudeidah from Houthis’ control emanates from their concern about the threat the Houthis pose to regional and global security including the international shipping”.

However, on Wednesday morning, Sana’a based Houthi run al-Masirah television network reported that Yemeni fighters had launched a missile attack on the Saudi Dammam battleship off the western coast.

Read More:  Scores of Injured Yemenis Arrive In India for Treatment

Yemen’s official SABA news agency later in the day reported that Houthis said they had also targeted a coalition boat off the coast of el-Durayhmi in southern Hudaydah port city.

Saudi Arabia Suspends Oil Shipment through Bab Al-Mandeb

According to Press TV, a Yemeni navy source (associated with Houthi administration) said that coalition boat was carrying weapons and Saudi-allied forces to Hudaydah, which has been the subject of a military push by UAE forces and allied militants, backed by Saudi air raids.

Moreover, Lebanon’s Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television network quoted the Yemeni navy as saying that the boat had been destroyed and all on board had been killed.

Read More: Yemen: Saudi led coalition pause Hudaidah offensive

Saudi Arabia and its allies launched the war in march 2015 in support of Yemen’s former Hadi government in against Houthis. Yemeni forces regularly target positions inside Saudi Arabia, which has blocked humanitarian deliveries of food and medicine to the country. According to statistics released by Yemen’s Ministry of Human Rights the Saudi-led campaign has killed and injured over 600,000 civilians.

Several Western governments, especially US, Britain and certain other western countries have been supplying arms to Saudi Arabia. Houthis have also alleged Israel’s involvement in destroying the poor Arab country.

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India envoy Dinesh Trivedi meets PM Modi after talks with Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman 

India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi met PM Modi after talks with Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman amid diplomatic tensions.

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India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday, a day after his meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka.

According to the High Commission of India in Bangladesh, Trivedi sought PM Modi’s guidance on further strengthening the bilateral relationship between India and Bangladesh through a constructive and people-centric approach.

The meeting came a day after Trivedi held discussions with Tarique Rahman on matters of mutual interest and ways to advance ties between the two neighbouring countries.

Dinesh Trivedi Meets Bangladesh PM

During his meeting with Tarique Rahman on Monday, Trivedi conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Modi and reiterated India’s commitment to working with the Bangladeshi administration and its people in a positive, constructive and forward-looking manner.

The two sides discussed issues of mutual interest and explored avenues for strengthening India-Bangladesh relations with a people-centric approach.

The engagement took place at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Cabinet Division at the Bangladesh Secretariat. Trivedi also shared his experience of serving in Dhaka over the previous two months.

Sheikh Hasina Extradition Request

The meeting assumed significance as Bangladesh has expressed hope that India will expedite the extradition process involving former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted following a student-led uprising in 2024.

According to a statement issued by the Bangladesh Prime Minister’s Office, Dhaka also reiterated its request for India to return individuals it alleges were involved in the killing of Shahid Osman Hadi, a prominent figure associated with the July uprising who was shot on December 12, 2025.

Tarique Rahman stressed the need to create a suitable environment to take forward relations between Bangladesh and India.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir and other officials attended the meeting.

India-Bangladesh Ties Amid Diplomatic Friction

The latest high-level engagements come amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries following a virtual press interaction by Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi on August 5.

The event, organised by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia to mark the second anniversary of her ouster, prompted strong objections from Dhaka.

During the interaction, Hasina said she remained determined to return to Bangladesh in December and restore democracy, while acknowledging the possibility of imprisonment or a death sentence upon her return.

Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently registered a strong protest and said the development had affected public sentiment and complicated efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

India has said the government had no involvement in the event. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said it was organised by a private media entity and clarified that New Delhi did not endorse views expressed at the forum.

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Trump, PM Modi will resolve tariff issue over Russian oil trade, says US official

White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro said Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will resolve the issue over US tariff threats linked to India’s Russian oil trade.

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US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will resolve the issue surrounding the threat of US tariffs linked to India’s purchase of Russian oil, White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro said on Tuesday.

Navarro’s remarks came days after the US Senate passed a bill authorising the US President to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on the top five purchasers of Russian oil. The measure argues that such purchases directly contribute to financing Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Navarro comments on India’s Russian oil trade

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Navarro said India was not involved in the oil trade with Russia before the Ukraine war began in 2022.

He alleged that India became heavily involved in the trade after Russia’s invasion and sold refined products on behalf of Russia, which he said helped support the Russian war effort.

“Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, India was not involved in the oil trade with Russia, but afterwards it got heavily involved,” Navarro said.

The White House adviser also claimed that the issue had since been resolved and attributed some of the shift in India’s Russian oil trade to an opinion article he recently wrote in the Financial Times.

Trump and Modi will resolve issue, Navarro says

Navarro said the relationship between Trump and Modi would help address the tariff-related issue.

“The president and your prime minister have a very good working relationship. They are going to work that out amongst themselves,” he said, adding that it was not his place to intervene.

His comments come amid US concerns over countries purchasing Russian oil and proposed measures aimed at imposing additional tariffs on major buyers.

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US Senate passes Russia sanctions bill, India-China face 100% tariff risk

The US Senate has passed a Russia sanctions bill that could allow 100% tariffs on major buyers of Russian oil and gas, including India and China.

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Donald Trump

The US Senate has approved a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that could allow President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil or natural gas, including India and China.

The legislation was passed by an 86-11 vote and will now move to the US House of Representatives, which is scheduled to reconvene on August 31.

The bill is named in honour of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a strong supporter of Ukraine who died on July 11. Graham had pushed for tougher sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine.

India and China among major Russian energy buyers

The legislation gives the US president the power to impose tariffs on the world’s top five purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas.

India and China are among those countries, along with Azerbaijan, Hungary and Slovakia.

The bill also contains an exception for countries importing less than 15% of their natural gas from Russia and taking steps to reduce their dependence on Russian supplies.

What does the Russia sanctions bill contain?

Apart from the proposed tariffs, the legislation includes sanctions targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, senior Russian political and military officials, financial institutions and energy projects.

The bill would also expand US sanctions to older and reflagged oil tankers allegedly used by Moscow to bypass existing restrictions on Russian oil and energy revenues.

At the same time, the White House would have the option to waive sanctions or restrictions if the president certifies to Congress that doing so is in the national interest.

Bill also extends Iran sanctions law

The legislation also contains a provision related to Iran. It would extend the expiration date of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 until 2031.

The law penalises companies that invest in Iran’s energy sector.

The bill’s passage in the Senate marks the next step in the US legislative process, but it still needs approval from the House of Representatives before it can move forward.

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