“This is this is not something that Saudi Arabia wants at all,” said Christopher Phillips, professor of international relations at Queen Mary University of London. “It seems that Iran instigated this and have tried to turn the screws on Saudi Arabia. “The Houthis want to use the wider regional war and the attacks on Saudi linked vessels and energy assets to force Saudi Arabia to lift the blockade of the key port of Hodeida,” Quilliam added. Saudi Arabia is in a strategic bind of seeking a return a stability without showing weakness to their enemies. Riyadh’s state oil firm Aramco Saudi Arabia has sought to play down the effects of the attacks on an industry that generates around $20bn (£14.9bn) a month in export receipts.