Iran Urges Houthi Allies to Prepare Blocking Strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait Amid US-Iran Tensions

Iran has instructed its allied Houthi rebels in Yemen to be ready to block the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a critical maritime passage at the entrance to the Red Sea, if the United States attacks Iranian power stations and bridges as threatened by President Donald Trump. Three sources told Reuters on Thursday that the Houthis have completed preparations to strike ships near the strait using missiles and drones and are awaiting orders from Iranian Revolutionary Guards representatives already present in Yemen.

Iranian emergency command at the Hatam al-Anbiya headquarters responded to Trump's threats by warning that any US attack on Iranian infrastructure would provoke powerful retaliatory strikes targeting all regional infrastructure. The Bab al-Mandab Strait is a vital energy transit route, with about 7% of the world's energy supply passing through the Red Sea, and its closure could exacerbate the global energy crisis and escalate conflict between the US and Iran.

Meanwhile, the conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia intensified this week as the Houthis launched hypersonic missile attacks on Saudi airports in retaliation for Riyadh's airstrikes on Sanaa's airport, controlled by the Iran-backed rebels. A source in Sanaa described the airstrikes as a response to Iranian violations of Yemen's airspace, which the Saudi-led coalition had banned. The source noted that the strikes aimed to restore honor but would not achieve significant results beyond appeasing coalition supporters.

Regional sources close to Riyadh confirmed that Saudi Arabia takes the threats from Iran and the Houthis seriously, especially given the close ties between the rebels and Iran regarding Bab al-Mandab. Saudi Arabia has rerouted about 70% of its energy exports through the Red Sea port of Yanbu, making any Houthi attacks on tankers in the area a major concern for the global energy market. An Iranian source told Reuters that Iran believes it can pressure the US through energy markets and that sophisticated missiles are not necessary to disrupt shipping; even small arms fire could impede vessel movement through the strait.