Photo: EPA
Iran has asked Yemen's Houthi movement to be ready to block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and disrupt shipping in the Red Sea if the United States attacks Iranian energy infrastructure, a move that could deepen the global energy crisis by threatening two of the Middle East's key oil export routes, according to Reuters.
The request was discussed within Iran's leadership and relayed to the Tehran-backed Houthis, Reuters reported, citing two senior Iranian officials and a regional source.
According to the sources, the Houthis have completed preparations for potential attacks on commercial shipping. Missiles and drones have been deployed near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic gateway to the Red Sea.
The weapons are reportedly positioned in mountainous areas overlooking Hodeidah and the Gulf of Aden, with Houthi forces awaiting orders to begin operations. Any disruption to Red Sea shipping would significantly worsen the energy market turmoil that has already intensified following Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
If the Houthis launch attacks, two of the Middle East's most important oil export corridors could come under simultaneous threat, potentially opening a new front in the confrontation between Iran and the United States. Reuters reported that members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stationed in Yemen would oversee any decision to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Tensions have already escalated after the Houthis launched missiles at Saudi Arabia this week, accusing Riyadh of striking an airport under their control, effectively breaking a four-year ceasefire.
"This escalation comes at an extremely unfortunate time," said Torbjørn Soltvedt, an analyst at Verisk Maplecroft. "If fighting expands to export infrastructure and Red Sea shipping, it would threaten the region's only major alternative route for oil exports."
Saudi Arabia is taking the threats from Iran and the Houthis seriously and believes the Yemeni group is closely coordinating its actions with Tehran.
During previous Houthi attacks on commercial shipping, major shipping companies rerouted vessels around Africa, significantly increasing transport costs. Saudi Arabia has already shifted about 70% of its energy exports through the Red Sea port of Yanbu, making that route increasingly vulnerable to any future attacks.
According to Reuters, Tehran aims to raise the economic cost for the United States and the global economy by increasing pressure through its regional allies. Iran considers the Houthis part of its regional "Axis of Resistance," alongside Lebanon's Hezbollah and Shiite militias in Iraq.
The Houthis have not officially entered the conflict between Iran and the United States. Washington says Iran supplies the group with weapons, funding and training, allegations Tehran denies.
