Americans face more misery at the pumps as Saudi Arabia oil in flames amid Houthi attacks
Americans face more misery at the pumps as Saudi Arabia oil in flames amid Houthi attacks
Charlie Bradley & The & Somaiyah HafeezSun, September 13, 2026 at 9:40 PM UTC
0
Yanbo refinery -Credit:X
Following a massive fire at a major oil refinery in Saudi Arabia, Americans can expect to pay high prices at gas stations for some time to come.
The Yanbu refinery, located in the coastal city of Yanbu on the Red Sea in western Saudi Arabia, has been photographed with thick plumes of smoke rising from the complex.
The cause of the blaze is yet to be established, but it comes within 48 hours of another attack by Houthi-backed militia in Iraq. U.S. inflation accelerated last month as gas prices spiked in the wake of renewed fighting in the Middle East, underscoring the affordability challenges that are top of mind for many voters with midterm elections now just seven weeks away.
• Donald Trump 'faces exodus of inner circle' – who will blame JD Vance for 'disasters'
• CNN's Dana Bash skewers Trump's energy boss over gas prices ahead of Labor Day
The consumer price index rose 3.4% last month compared with a year ago, the Labor Department said Friday, just like July. But inflation quickened month to month as costs jumped 0.4% from July, quadrupling the 0.1% registered in the previous month.
Inflation remains stubbornly elevated more than five years after prices soared as the economy emerged from the pandemic. Friday’s report increases pressure on the inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve to boost their benchmark interest rate next week, which could lift mortgage and auto loan costs in the months ahead.
Overnight, Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen claimed fresh attacks on neighboring Saudi Arabia, while the Saudi-backed Yemeni government characterized the rebels' rapid advance along the Red Sea coastline as a "painful" development opening a new front in the Iran conflict.
Advertisement
The price for diesel fuel is displayed on a pump at a gas station Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, in Dickson, Tenn. -Credit:AP Photo/George Walker IV
The Houthis' seizure of a strategic port city and an island positioned on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital shipping route serving as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, has sparked concern in markets and among Yemeni civilians worried about a return to catastrophic civil war in recent days.
The Houthis announced additional missile and drone strikes on Saudi Arabia, which backs Yemen's internationally recognized government.
Click here to follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sports, and entertainment stories.
Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed in a statement that they targeted a military base in Sharurah province in Saudi Arabia's Najran region.
He didn't provide evidence or say when the attack occurred.
Saudi civil defense authorities reported overnight that a projectile landed in al-Tawwal governorate near the Yemeni border along the Red Sea, wounding two individuals and causing damage to a mosque and multiple other structures. The statement blamed the Houthis.
It also said sirens went off in Sharurah province, but didn't report casualties or damage. As of Sunday, Saudi Arabia had yet to issue any statement regarding fresh strikes on the Houthis, who have been launching attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and vessels as part of a recently announced blockade.
Despite rebel assurances that commercial shipping faces no danger, market uncertainty persists and oil prices have continued to climb.
Source: “AOL Breaking”
