Portsmouth, UK, September 13, 2026: A vessel was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz as the conflict in the region continues to escalate, despite BRICS nations calling for maximum restraint in West Asia.
According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the status of the crew, damage assessment and environmental impact are currently unknown. UKMTO advised vessels to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity while authorities investigate the incident.
Meanwhile, Iran and Oman have agreed on details of new entry and exit routes for the Strait of Hormuz and will brief Gulf countries on the outcome of their consultations at a regional meeting in Muscat on Monday, Iranian officials said on Saturday, according to Xinhua News.
After seizing the key Red Sea port of Mokha and the last two islands that were not under their control along the strategic shipping route of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Yemen’s Houthis continued to strike at areas along the Saudi Arabian border, CBS reported, citing a military official in the Yemeni government.
The tightening grip of the Iran-backed rebels on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait comes as they target ships carrying Saudi Arabian oil exports along a route that serves as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reported.
On Sunday local time, the militant group struck weapons depots and command-and-control rooms at a military base in Saudi Arabia’s Sharurah region, Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said on X.
According to Al Jazeera, two people were injured in a Houthi strike along Saudi Arabia’s border.
As the Houthis captured Mokha, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Friday expressed support for the “Yemeni people,” invoking past statements from slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Reacting to developments along the Red Sea coast, Ghalibaf wrote in a post on X, “The brave Yemeni people will certainly triumph, by the permission of God Almighty.”
According to Al Jazeera, the Houthis’ capture of the Red Sea port of Mokha has been praised in Iran against the backdrop of its wider conflict with the United States and Israel.
“The victories of Yemen’s Ansar Allah on the western coast are a narrative of a divine triumph and the fruit of years of steadfastness in the most difficult of battlefields,” Hossein Mohebbi, spokesman for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), wrote on X on Saturday.
According to CBS News, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked U.S. President Donald Trump to take military action against the Houthis, which Trump reportedly declined.
The attacks come as BRICS nations, including Saudi Arabia, Iran and the UAE, have called for peace in the region.
In the New Delhi Declaration on Saturday, BRICS nations expressed “deep concern over the continued escalation of tensions in West Asia” and called for “maximum restraint, as well as avoiding actions that could further aggravate the situation.”
The nations also urged the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations in their entirety and interconnectedness, including respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.
BRICS called for dialogue and diplomacy toward a long-term understanding that will contribute to lasting peace, security and stability in the region and maintain the smooth flow of global trade, supply chains and energy in accordance with applicable international law. (ANI)
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