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Iran tells Houthis to stand ready to close Bab el-Mandeb
The Bab el-Mandeb strait carries about 7.0% of global energy trade, and any disruption could force shipping to reroute around Africa, raising transit costs.
Iran has instructed Yemen’s Houthi movement to stand ready to close the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a key gateway to the Red Sea, if the United States carries out threats to strike Iranian power infrastructure, according to senior Iranian sources cited by OilPrice.
The report says Iran’s leadership discussed the plan with Houthi allies, with the rebels awaiting definitive orders to begin targeting maritime traffic. It also states drones and advanced missiles have been positioned across Yemen’s strategic highlands overlooking Hodeidah and the Gulf of Aden.
OilPrice adds that operational decisions on any formal closure would be overseen by representatives of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on the ground in Yemen.
The Bab el-Mandeb strait supports about 7.0% of the world’s energy trade, and the outlet warns that disruptions could push international shipping firms to reroute vessels around Africa, inflating transit costs and worsening the global energy crisis. It also notes that Saudi Arabia faces heightened risk because it has diverted about 70.0% of its energy exports through the Red Sea port of Yanbu, nearly to maximum capacity after its four-year truce with the Houthis.