Challenges to shipping in the Middle East escalated, as a call from Iran-backed Houthi rebels against servicing Saudi ports spurred unusual maneuvers in the Red Sea, while a European Union naval group raised its threat level for the waterway.
Source: [Bloomberg Markets](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-22/key-oil-chokepoints-in-mideast-face-disruption-as-threats-mount)