Iran has asked Yemen’s Houthi movement to be ready to close the Red Sea oil route if the United States strikes Iranian power infrastructure, Reuters reported Thursday, citing three sources familiar with the message.
The report adds a new flashpoint to an already widening conflict centered on the Strait of Hormuz. The Bab el-Mandeb strait, between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, is the gateway from the Gulf of Aden into the Red Sea and the Suez Canal route. If both Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb were seriously disrupted at the same time, shipping and energy markets would face pressure on two of the Middle East’s most important export corridors.
What Reuters Reported
Reuters reported that the idea had been discussed inside Iran’s leadership and conveyed to the Houthis, according to two senior Iranian sources and a regional source. The sources spoke anonymously because of the sensitivity of the matter.
A source close to the Houthis told Reuters the group had completed preparations to attack shipping by deploying missiles and drones near Bab el-Mandeb, including positions overlooking Hodeidah and the Gulf of Aden, and was waiting for an order to begin. Iran’s foreign ministry and a Houthi spokesperson did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment, according to the report.
Reuters also reported that representatives of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps already in Yemen would control the decision on when to close the strait, citing the source close to the Houthis. That claim has not been independently confirmed by List25.
Why Bab el-Mandeb Matters
Bab el-Mandeb is not just another regional chokepoint. It links the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea, the Suez Canal and Mediterranean trade routes. During earlier Houthi attacks around the Red Sea, major shipping firms rerouted vessels around Africa, adding time and cost to global cargo movement.
The stakes are higher now because the Hormuz crisis has already strained oil and gas flows. Reuters said a significant amount of Gulf oil has been diverted to the Red Sea through a Saudi pipeline, while Saudi Arabia has moved a large share of its energy exports through its Red Sea port of Yanbu. That makes the Red Sea route a pressure point for both shipping companies and oil markets.
The Wider Iran Crisis Is Escalating
The Reuters report landed as the United States and Iran traded new blows across the region. The Associated Press reported that U.S. strikes had expanded into northern Iran and that Washington said it disabled a ship accused of trying to run the blockade. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks aimed at U.S. allies in the region, including Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait, according to AP.
Iranian military spokesperson Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari warned that regional infrastructure could be hit if the United States follows through on President Donald Trump’s threats against Iranian bridges and power plants, AP reported. The warning aligns with the Reuters account that Tehran is looking for ways to raise the cost of further U.S. escalation.
The Hindu’s live coverage, citing Reuters and other agencies, also reported fresh Iranian drone attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain, a drone strike on a ship off Iraq’s Basra province and the Reuters report about Iran telling the Houthis to prepare for Red Sea action.
What Happens Next
The immediate trigger described by Reuters is specific: U.S. strikes on Iranian power infrastructure. That means the Red Sea threat is not yet the same as an announced Houthi campaign, and the report does not say an attack order has been given.
Still, the message matters because it signals how quickly the Iran crisis could move from the Persian Gulf into the Red Sea. If Houthi forces enter the fight directly, the conflict would threaten commercial shipping from both ends of the Arabian Peninsula and further complicate any attempt to stabilize energy flows.
For now, the key question is whether Washington expands its target list to Iranian power infrastructure. If it does, Tehran’s reported Red Sea warning could become the next major test for U.S. and allied forces trying to keep regional sea lanes open.