Multiple reports citing Reuters sources say Iran has asked Yemen’s Houthi movement to prepare to close the Red Sea oil route through the Bab el-Mandeb strait if the United States strikes Iranian power infrastructure. The reported plan would involve actions aimed at disrupting shipping at or near the gateway connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
According to the sources, discussions within Iran’s leadership have taken place and the message has been conveyed to Iran’s Houthi allies through senior or regional contacts. One report says representatives of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who are already in Yemen would oversee or control the timing of any decision to close the strait.
Other sources close to the Houthis say the group has completed preparations for an attack on shipping, including by deploying missiles and drones near Bab el-Mandeb, and that they are awaiting an order to begin. Regional actors, including Saudi Arabia, are reported to be taking the threat seriously because it could affect global energy supplies and further escalate risks in the Red Sea.
