The Washington Post runs this Associated Press story about a Saudi naval blockade of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, part of the Kingdom’s response to recent border clashes. The intent of the blockade is to search inbound ships for weapons and money coming from Iran. The AP reports that some see this as an escalation in Saudi-Iranian tensions.

Saudi Arabia enforces blockade near Yemen
Salah Nasrawi

CAIRO — Saudi Arabia on Tuesday imposed a naval blockade on the Red Sea coast of northern Yemen to combat Shiite rebels along its border, an adviser to the government said, in the latest escalation of fighting in the southern Arabian Peninsula.

The Saudi move comes as Iran, which is the region’s dominant Shiite power and is accused by the Arabs of backing the rebels, warned neighboring countries not to interfere in Yemen’s internal affairs.

The Saudi offensive has raised concerns of a proxy war in the Middle East between Iran and Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally. Shiite Iran is thought to favor the rebels in Yemen, while Saudi Arabia, which is Sunni, is Iran’s fiercest regional rival.
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