Saudi Aramco has decided to halt oil cargoes passing through the Red Sea strait of Bab el-Mandeb, following attacks by Yemen-based Houthi rebels on two of its crude oil tankers.

The Iranian-backed Houthi militias attacked two very large crude carriers (VLCCs) carrying Aramco crude on 25 July, according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih confirmed the attack late on 25 July, according to statements posted by Aramco and the SPA.

‘In the interest of the safety of ships and their crews and to avoid the risk of oil spill, Saudi Aramco has temporarily halted all oil shipments through Bab el-Mandeb with immediate effect. The company is carefully assessing the situation and will take further action as prudence demands,’ the Aramco statement read.

The statement said one of the ships sustained ‘minimal damage’, although no injuries or oil spill have been reported.

The vessels are operated by the Saudi National Shipping Company (Bahri), and have a transport capacity of 2 million barrels.

The destination of the export vessels is not known. Efforts were underway to move the ships to the nearest Saudi port, as per the latest update by SPA.

The mode of attack on the ships was also not made public. Iranian-backed Houthi militias have carried out several missile attacks on Saudi territory, including on Aramco’s facilities and oil tankers, from their stronghold of Hodeida port on the Red Sea.

Yemen’s vice president Lt. Gen. Ali Mohsen has condemned the attack, saying the "Houthi militias' repeated attacks with Iranian support against international shipping are an obstruction to the efforts that the UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths is exerting to bring about peace", in comments carried by SPA.