TEHRAN: Iran asked Yemen’s Houthi movement to prepare to block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait if the United States attacks Iranian power infrastructure, as reported on Thursday.
Two senior Iranian sources and one regional source said Tehran had recently sent the message to the group. They spoke on condition of anonymity.
A source close to the Houthis said the group had placed missiles and drones near the strait. The weapons were positioned in areas overlooking Hodeidah and the Gulf of Aden.
The source said representatives of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Yemen would decide when to begin any operation. Iran’s Foreign Ministry and a Houthi spokesperson did not immediately respond.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. The route now carries about 7% of global energy supplies, according to regional sources cited by Reuters.
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The threat comes as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed during the Iran-US conflict. Before the war, Hormuz carried about one-fifth of global energy supplies.
Saudi Arabia has redirected much of its energy trade through the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Regional sources said Riyadh was taking the threat seriously.
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Torbjorn Solvedt of Verisk Maplecroft said wider fighting could endanger the region’s main alternative oil export route.
The Houthis have not formally entered the Iran-US conflict. However, the United States accuses Iran of giving the group weapons, funds and training. Tehran denies the charge.
