Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis announced on Monday that they would impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, opening a potential new front in the conflict between the United States and Iran while increasing risks to global energy supplies and international trade beyond the Gulf.
The escalation follows one of the deadliest periods of the war for U.S. forces. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) identified two American soldiers killed when Iran attacked a U.S. base in Jordan on Friday and said unidentified remains recovered at the site could belong to a third soldier previously reported missing in action.
In a separate incident, a fourth U.S. service member was killed in northern Iraq during the "controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone".
Following the Houthi announcement, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen reportedly said it would respond with force and had begun implementing additional security measures to protect vessels transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital export route for Saudi crude following the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The move came despite signs that Tehran and Washington are seeking to revive diplomacy aimed at halting the conflict. Iran's Foreign Ministry said mediators had presented "proposals" to Tehran, signalling that diplomatic contacts remain active, although no further details were provided.
Iran has reportedly been encouraging the Houthis to shut the Bab el-Mandeb gateway if the United States continues targeting Iranian power infrastructure.
A complete closure of the strait would reduce global oil supplies by an estimated 7%, leaving much of Saudi Arabia's crude exports unable to reach international markets.
The disruption would compound existing supply losses from the Gulf conflict, which has already reduced global oil shipments by around 10%.
Meanwhile, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday that Tehran had received a proposal from international mediators for a 10-day ceasefire aimed at preserving the interim agreement reached last month and creating a pathway towards a permanent end to the war, which began on 28 February with U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.
Neither Iran's Foreign Ministry nor the official who spoke to Reuters disclosed details of the proposed ceasefire.
Two Pakistani government sources separately said Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni had requested Pakistan resume its mediation role in the conflict. Momeni later arrived in Islamabad for further discussions.
The diplomatic push followed another night of U.S. strikes on Iranian cities and retaliatory attacks by Iran's Revolutionary Guards targeting U.S. military assets across the region. U.S. Central Command said on Monday afternoon that it had launched another round of strikes against Iran.
President Donald Trump, facing growing domestic political pressure over rising fuel prices since the conflict began and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, defended the latest military action.
"Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over! This directive has been passed on to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Daniel Caine, and every Leader in the Military," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Separately, a tanker travelling through the Strait of Hormuz reported being struck by an "unknown projectile" early Tuesday local time, according to the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO).
The incident occurred off the coast of Limah, Oman.
While the alert did not identify the source of the projectile, Iran has fired upon several commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks. Iranian authorities have also instructed ships to seek permission before entering the waterway and to use a northern route through Iranian waters instead of the southern passage along Oman's coastline.
