Hormuz Oil Flows Hit Six-Month High Amid Saudi Air Alerts

Oil and liquefied natural gas shipments navigating the Strait of Hormuz reached a six-month high over the past two weeks, even as escalating Houthi conflict and Saudi air raid alerts rattle critical Middle East energy transit corridors.

"Clearly, momentum is building," said Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), in a video statement released Saturday.

The volume recovery through the Strait of Hormuz, which handles roughly 10 million barrels per day of crude and refined products according to data from Investing.com, is driven by increased U.S. naval escorts and ongoing mine clearance operations. This rebound in Persian Gulf throughput contrasts with severe disruptions persisting along western Saudi shipping lanes.

These conflicting shipping metrics highlight the bifurcated state of regional energy logistics. While eastern export routes stabilize under military oversight, western transit points remain constrained by renewed hostilities emanating from Yemen.

Riyadh Air Alerts and Red Sea Bottlenecks

Early Saturday, Saudi Arabian authorities issued two air raid alerts for Riyadh, marking the first early-morning emergency warnings in the capital since the spring direct U.S.-Iran conflict, following reports of two loud explosions and a plume of smoke near King Khalid International Airport according to Investing.com.

Concurrently, tanker traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait remains deeply depressed. Only five laden tankers carrying Saudi petroleum products exited the Red Sea through the southern chokepoint over the past week, according to Kpler data cited by Investing.com, as Houthi transit slowdowns persist.

Crude Price Impact and Regional Stakes

Energy markets are reacting to these simultaneous security pressures. Brent crude hovers near $104 a barrel, up from $88 three weeks prior, reflecting heightened risk premiums across global oil benchmarks.

The stakes center on the resilience of global petroleum supply chains as Middle East producers navigate dual operational realities: secure, military-escorted passage through the Strait of Hormuz on one side, and acute vulnerability to aerial threats and Red Sea bottlenecks on the other.