TEL AVIV — The Houthis, a Yemeni Shiite militia which is aligned with Iran, have announced a naval blockade of a key waterway, the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait.

In a video statement, a Houthi spokesperson said the blockade was in retaliation for strikes from Saudi Arabia on a major airport in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.

The Houthis have accused Saudi Arabia of hitting the airport while an Iranian official was traveling through it earlier this month.

Bab Al-Mandeb connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, and it lets Saudi Arabia, one of the biggest oil producers in the world, get millions of barrels of oil a day out to the open ocean for export.

Bab Al-Mandeb has become even more important for Saudi Arabia now that the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed off by the U.S.- Iran war.

Any potential Houthi blockade of the strait would rattle energy markets already shaken by the war in Iran and would likely raise energy prices further.

The blockade would also test Gulf states’ resolve to counter Iran and Iran-aligned groups in the Middle East, including the Houthis.

Saudi Arabia condemned the blockade in a statement. The Houthis said in response that the Saudis were a “criminal” regime.

The Houthi rebels are designated by the U.S. State Department as a terrorist group.

Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates have been exploring the idea of building new oil pipelines or expanding existing ones to move oil overland instead of by sea, but those pipelines could take years to build.

U.S. and Iran trade fire – again

The U.S. and Iran traded fire for a 10th consecutive round of strikes overnight.

U.S. Central Command said late Monday it struck Iranian military command centers, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defense systems.

Iran’s state news agency IRNA said it targeted three U.S. bases hosting American military personnel and equipment in Kuwait last night.