Iran-backed militant group’s threat to Saudi energy hub could upend Trump’s midterm message

By Scott Waldman – Politico

The Yemeni militant Houthi group says it’s targeting vital Saudi Arabian energy facilities – a situation that threatens to harden high gasoline prices at a precarious moment for Republicans ahead of the midterms.

The Houthis’ target, according to Al Jazeera: Abqaiq, the world’s largest crude oil processing facility, which is responsible for stabilizing about 7 percent of the world’s crude oil. Many of its critical components are custom-built and irreplaceable on any short timeline. While blockades in the Strait of Hormuz have spiked oil and gasoline prices worldwide, there’s been enough slack in the global system to keep prices from going even higher.