Daijiworld Media Network - Dubai
Dubai, Jul 16: Iran has reportedly asked Yemen's Houthi movement to remain prepared to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and disrupt shipping through the Red Sea if the United States attacks Iranian power infrastructure, according to a Reuters report citing informed sources.
Two senior Iranian sources and a regional source familiar with the matter said the proposal had been discussed within Iran's leadership and conveyed to the Houthis. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the group had recently been informed of Tehran's request.
The sources did not specify how the message was delivered or whether it followed US President Donald Trump's warning on Tuesday that Washington could target Iran's power infrastructure.
Iran's Foreign Ministry and a Houthi spokesperson did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.
A source close to the Houthis said the group had completed preparations to target shipping by deploying missiles and drones near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the southern gateway to the Red Sea. According to the source, the weapons have been positioned in Yemen's highlands overlooking Hodeidah and the Gulf of Aden, with the group awaiting orders to begin operations.
Analysts warn that any disruption to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait would significantly worsen the global energy crisis following Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz, potentially disrupting the Middle East's two principal oil export routes simultaneously.
According to the report, representatives of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) already present in Yemen would oversee the decision on when to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Regional tensions have also escalated after the Houthis launched missile attacks on Saudi Arabia, accusing the kingdom of bombing an airport under their control on Monday, effectively ending a four-year truce between the two sides.
Torbjorn Solvedt, Principal Middle East Analyst at risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft, said any escalation involving the Red Sea would have serious implications for global energy markets.
"If fighting intensifies and spills over into Red Sea export infrastructure and shipping, it will threaten the only major alternative route for oil exports from the region," he said.
Two regional sources close to the Saudi leadership said Riyadh was treating threats from Iran and the Houthis seriously and believed the Yemeni group was now coordinating closely with Tehran over developments in the Red Sea.
The current conflict began on February 28 after Israel and the United States launched attacks on Iran, prompting Tehran to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which around one-fifth of global energy supplies had previously passed.
Since then, a significant portion of Gulf oil exports has been diverted through a Saudi pipeline to the Red Sea. The waterway now carries around seven per cent of global energy supplies.
During previous Houthi attacks on commercial shipping amid the Gaza conflict, several major shipping companies rerouted vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, increasing transit time and transportation costs.
Saudi Arabia has also redirected about 70 per cent of its energy exports through the Red Sea port of Yanbu, making any attack on the route a major concern for international oil markets.
One regional source said Iran was attempting to increase economic pressure on the United States by threatening Red Sea shipping and Saudi oil exports, describing it as part of Tehran's broader strategic calculations.
"Anybody with a firing rifle can interrupt the shipping. You don't have to have sophisticated missiles to interrupt the shipping," the source said.
Iran considers the Houthis part of its regional "Axis of Resistance", which also includes Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iraqi Shi'ite armed groups. While the Houthis have not formally entered the broader conflict between Tehran and Washington, the United States has long accused Iran of supplying the group with weapons, funding and training, allegations that Tehran has consistently denied.