Crude oil prices surged during post-settlement trading on Wednesday, with the Brent contract nearing $95 per barrel, after Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen claimed responsibility for an attack on two Saudi Arabian tankers.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations office reported that one of the tankers was struck by an unidentified object approximately 70 miles southwest of Al Shuqaiq in Saudi Arabia.

This incident appears to be the first known attack on tankers transiting the Red Sea since the outbreak of conflict between the U.S. and Iran in February. This waterway serves as a critical alternative route for Saudi crude oil, which faces blockades in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Houthi forces have claimed responsibility for the assault on the two Saudi vessels.