Saudi Arabia's oil export routes are now under attack by Iranian-backed Houthis, cutting off both the Strait of Hormuz and the cross-land pipeline that bypassed it—explaining sudden 20-cent gas price spikes and threatening global energy markets with potentially long-lasting consequences. Iran's hardline faction coordinated with Houthi militants in Yemen to target Saudi Arabia's alternate oil export pipeline, eliminating the kingdom's workaround that had previously shielded global markets from full war costs.