The recent missile attack on a Saudi super tanker by Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen should have been no surprise, since the rebels warned of such an attack last year, reports Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.

The incident could signal Yemen’s intent to take the ongoing violence directly to Saudi Arabia.

Multiple factions have been at odds with each other in recent years, but the overarching picture is of a looming confrontation directly between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

So far, world oil prices haven’t been impacted significantly by the conflict, but that could change, CNBC reported, if the Houthis “are more successful in their attacks on Saudi Arabia and its oil facilities.”

“This could eventually prove to be the tripwire for a direct confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Iran,” said Helima Croft, who is head of global commodities strategy at RBC.

“Imagine if that tanker was seriously damaged. Is this going to start a tanker war