Iran Asks Houthis to Prepare Bab el-Mandeb Closure, Threatening Global Energy Route
Tehran has reportedly instructed Yemen's Houthi forces to ready missiles and drones to shut the Red Sea gateway if the US strikes Iranian power plants, risking simultaneous disruption of the Middle East's two main oil export routes.
Iran has asked the Houthi movement in Yemen to prepare to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait should the United States attack Iranian power infrastructure, according to three sources cited by Reuters. A source close to the Houthis told the news agency that the group has completed preparations, deploying missiles and drones near the waterway and in the highlands overlooking Hodeidah and the Gulf of Aden, and is awaiting orders to begin operations. Representatives of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps already present in Yemen will control the timing of any closure, the source added. The request was discussed among Iran’s leadership and conveyed to the Houthis, though it remains unclear whether it was transmitted before or after President Donald Trump’s warning on Tuesday that Washington could target Iran’s energy infrastructure.
Viewed from Tehran, the threat to the Bab el-Mandeb is framed as a calibrated response to US escalation. The IRGC warned on Wednesday that “all other export corridors that benefit the US and its allies” could be targeted, and an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader earlier stated that the resistance front “views Bab al-Mandeb as it does Hormuz.” Saudi regional sources indicate that Riyadh is taking the threats seriously and believes the Houthis are now coordinating closely with Iran over Red Sea shipping. The Houthis themselves, after accusing Saudi Arabia of bombing Sana’a airport on Monday, fired missiles at the kingdom, rupturing a four-year truce. Analysts at risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft note that renewed Houthi-Saudi fighting threatens the only major alternative export route for Gulf oil.
The Bab el-Mandeb, an 18-mile-wide chokepoint between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, has become a critical artery since Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz in late February. With Hormuz blocked, Saudi Arabia has diverted roughly 70 percent of its energy exports through the Red Sea port of Yanbu via an east-west pipeline, and the strait now carries approximately 7 percent of global energy supplies, or about 4.2 million barrels per day. A simultaneous disruption of both waterways would leave the Middle East’s two principal oil export routes severed, a scenario that analysts in London and Washington warn could trigger a severe supply shock and sharply raise freight and insurance costs. Previous Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping in 2023 and 2024 forced major carriers to reroute vessels around Africa, demonstrating the group’s capacity to disrupt trade even without fully closing the strait.
The current conflict began on 28 February when Israel and the United States struck Iran, prompting Tehran to shut the Strait of Hormuz. A fragile truce collapsed in June, and US forces have since conducted successive waves of airstrikes on Iranian military targets near Hormuz while maintaining a naval blockade. The Houthis had paused maritime attacks after the Israel-Hamas ceasefire in October 2025 but have recently threatened to resume targeting Israeli-linked vessels. The US Maritime Administration has issued an advisory warning that vessels with links to Israel, the US or the UK remain at high risk in the southern Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb. With IRGC representatives in Yemen awaiting a decision and Saudi Arabia on alert, the dossier remains highly volatile and no diplomatic off-ramp is in sight.
| Israeli press | −0.90 | critical |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic / Anglosphere press | −0.20 | neutral |
| Indian & South Asian press | −0.10 | neutral |
| Latin American press | 0.00 | neutral |
Israel condemns Iran for arming Houthi terrorists and threatening to block the Red Sea.
By labeling the Houthis as a terrorist organization, the Israeli press delegitimizes both the group and Iran, and presents the threat as imminent and concrete, creating a sense of urgency.
The Israeli press omits any mention of Iran's defensive rationale or the context of US threats against Iran, presenting Iran's action as unprovoked aggression.
The West observes with concern the possibility that Iran may use the Houthis to close another vital strait, expanding the energy crisis.
The Atlantic press adopts a tone of measured alert, relying on anonymous sources and strategic analysis, to present the news as a credible but not imminent threat.
The Atlantic press omits the characterization of Houthis as terrorists and does not emphasize Iran's defensive posture, focusing instead on the potential economic impact.
India and South Asia analyze the Iranian move as a regional deterrence strategy, focusing on implications for global energy trade.
The Indo-South Asian press takes an analytical approach, citing sources and analysts, to frame the news as a calculated strategic move, not an immediate threat.
The Indo-South Asian press omits any moral judgment on the Houthis or Iran, and does not highlight the potential for immediate disruption.
Latin America reports the fact without taking sides, merely describing the potential threat.
The Latin American press uses a direct translation of Reuters, maintaining a descriptive tone without adding commentary or analysis.
The Latin American press omits any strategic analysis or context about the Strait of Hormuz or broader Iran-US tensions, presenting a bare-bones report.
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