Iran’s Proxy War Just Escalated Again & Russia’s Empty Tanks

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
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**Mike Baker** (0:41)
It's Friday, the 24th of July. This month has just been flying by. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage, and yes, still traveling. All right, let's get briefed. First up, the Houthis have begun enforcing their blockade of Saudi Arabia, and new evidence suggests Iran may be playing a far more direct role than previously known. I'll explain. Later in the show, Russia's military is reportedly running so low on fuel that some troops are abandoning equipment on the battlefield. I'll have the details. Plus, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is making the rounds in Asia, offering assessments on Ukraine, China, and America's commitment to its allies.
And in today's Back of the Brief, a new report estimates it could cost roughly $71 billion, give or take tens of billions, to rebuild Gaza, highlighting the enormous financial and political challenges that lie ahead. And by $71 billion, I do mean a lot more than that. But first, today's PDB spotlight. Yesterday on the PDB, we told you that the Iran-backed Houthi rebels appeared ready to begin enforcing their new declared maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia. According to US and European maritime security officials, the group had positioned missiles and attack drones near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and looked poised to move from threats to action. Well, it did not take long. Just hours later, the Houthis claimed they had attacked two Saudi oil tankers transiting the Red Sea.
The groups had targeted two Saudi flagged tankers, the Anselia and the Layla, with missiles and drones because they had violated the blockade by operating on behalf of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi officials confirmed that the Anselia was struck while moving through the Red Sea. According to the Kingdom's Transport General Authority, the attack sparked a fire near the bow of the vessel, though all crew members were safely evacuated and no injuries were reported. Saudi officials did not identify who carried out the strike, nor did they comment on the Houthis' claim that a second tanker had also been attacked. The Houthis also claimed they forced roughly 10 commercial ships to reverse course rather than continue towards Saudi ports. That number has not been independently verified, but maritime tracking firms have confirmed that several vessels have indeed turned around since the blockade was announced earlier this week.
So while the Bab al-Mandeb Strait remains open to non-Saudi commercial traffic, at least in theory, the Houthis have now demonstrated that this blockade is more than just political theater or posturing.
Now one interesting wrinkle emerged yesterday. Despite the Houthi threats, two Chinese-owned supertankers carrying Saudi crude successfully transited the Bab al-Mandeb on Thursday. According to shipping data, both vessels openly broadcast that they were Chinese-owned and Chinese crude as they passed through the choke point. The Houthis have not announced any formal exception for Chinese shipping, and it's impossible to know exactly why those ships were allowed to pass unmolested while Saudi-flagged tankers were reportedly attacked. But the contrast is, of course, notable, and it suggests that the Houthis may be selectively enforcing their blockade, oh, you think, perhaps targeting certain countries while avoiding confrontation with Beijing, Iran's most important economic partner. And by all that, I mean, of course, they're giving the Chinese a pass, at the urging, of course, of the Iranian regime and the IRGC.
But today's biggest development may actually be what we learned about Iran's role behind the scenes. This week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Tehran of flying members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, directly into Yemen. At the time, he offered few details. Now Reuters has filled in some of the blanks. According to four sources familiar with the matter, including two Iranian sources, Iran flew between 10 and 21 IRGC officers and military advisors into Houthi-controlled Yemen on July 13th, aboard a Mahan air flight. The aircraft also allegedly carried missile and drone components, along with gold intended to finance Houthi operations.
According to one of those sources, the commanders were sent to train Houthi forces on newer missile systems and to strengthen the group's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Now, it's important to note that those claims remain disputed. A Houthi official denied that military personnel were aboard the aircraft, insisting all passengers were civilians. Iran has also repeatedly denied providing the Houthis with missile capabilities. Well, I see no reason not to take the Houthis and the Iranian regime at their word. I'm sure it's all fine. According to Reuters, the alleged IRGC flight arrived in Yemen on the 13th of July. Just three days later, Reuters separately reported that Iran had instructed the Houthis to prepare to close the Red Sea oil route if the US expanded its strikes against Iranian infrastructure. Then on Monday, the Houthis announced their blockade of Saudi Arabia. And now just days later, they've apparently begun enforcing it.