Iran instructs Houthis to prepare to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait

Iran has reportedly instructed Yemen’s Houthi terrorists to prepare to block a critical Red Sea passage if the United States attacks Iran’s energy infrastructure Experts have warned that the threat could sharply disrupt global shipping even if the group cannot completely block the waterway, Reuters reported.

“This threat must be taken seriously,” Nadwa Al-Dawsari of the Middle East Institute told Fox News Digital. “With the recent escalation of tensions and US attacks on Iran, Tehran has signaled that it may be part of Bab al-Mandeb’s response.”

Iran’s leadership has discussed using the Houthis to close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and recently conveyed the request to the group, three sources told Reuters on Thursday. A source close to the Houthis said missiles and drones had been deployed near the waterway and the group was awaiting orders to begin attacking ships.

IRAN-SUPPORTED TERRORIST PROXY HUTTIES ARE THREATENING WITH NEW ATTACKS AFTER YEMEN AIRPORT ATTACK

Edmund Fitton-Brown, the former British ambassador to Yemen and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, warned in a recent report for Fox News Digital that a full resumption of the Houthis’ naval campaign could trigger a wider conflict.

“It will be interesting if the Houthis go all out and continue their campaign against Red Sea shipping with full intensity,” Fitton-Brown said. “This will lead to international outrage and will likely result in Israel and the United States attacking Sana and Hodeida.”

“Although the Allies have a clear military advantage, there is potential for general escalation if this happens,” he added.

Al-Dawsari said the Houthis continued to develop the weapons needed to threaten the narrow shipping corridor despite largely avoiding naval attacks last year.

“Although the Houthis have largely refrained from attacking ships for nearly a year, they have continued to develop maritime capabilities, including missiles, drones and naval mines,” he said. “They may not be able to completely close the strait, but they could significantly disrupt shipping and increase costs and risks for commercial traffic,” he said.

THE USA GAINED BACK THE KEY TIMS IT GIVEN TO IRAN AFTER THE NEW ATTACKS ON MERCHANT SHIPS IN THE STRAIT OF KORUZ

This photo published by the Houthi Media Center shows Houthi forces boarding the cargo ship Galaxy Leader on Sunday, November 19, 2023. Yemeni Houthis seized the ship in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen after threatening to seize all ships belonging to Israeli companies. (Houthi Media Center via AP)

However, the group does not need to physically control the waterway. The previous missile and drone campaign has shown that repeated attacks or a credible threat of them could prompt major shipping companies to reroute their ships around Africa, increasing insurance, fuel and freight costs.

Bab al-Mandeb connects the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, making it one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints. The consequences of renewed attacks would be particularly severe because Iran has already disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which has historically been the main route for roughly one-fifth of global energy supply.

As a result, a significant portion of Gulf oil was diverted via Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Reuters reported that the Bab al-Mandeb route currently carries about 7% of global energy supply, and Saudi Arabia shifts about 70% of its energy exports through Yanbu.

The reported instructions also raise new questions about how much control Tehran has over the Houthis’ key military decisions.

In this image provided by the U.S. Navy, amphibious dock landing ship USS Carter Hall and amphibious assault ship USS Bataan pass through the Bab al-Mandeb strait on August 9, 2023. (Mass Communications Spc. 2nd Class Moises Sandoval/U.S. Navy via AP)

“Any decision to escalate tensions in Bab al-Mandab will be strategic and will depend on the interests of Iran and the Axis of Resistance rather than solely Houthi interests,” Al-Dawsari said. he said. “Decisions of this magnitude are likely coordinated through the Axis joint operations room under the supervision of the Revolutionary Guard.”

According to Reuters, a source close to the Houthis claimed that representatives of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Yemen would control the timing of any move towards the strait.

The latest warning follows previous threats by the Houthis to maritime traffic. In its June 12 report, Fox News Digital reported that the group announced a complete ban on Israeli-owned ships in the Red Sea and declared them “legitimate targets.”

EXPERT WARNINGS ABOUT ‘GENERAL DISCUSSION’ OF THE STRUGGLES IF THE HOUTIES CONTINUE THE RED SEA CAMPAIGN

In this July 12, 2026 handout photo, a satellite image shows the Bab el Mandeb Strait, a major shipping waterway and gateway to the Red Sea; Iran is threatening to use Yemen’s Houthi allies to close the Bab al-Mandeb gate to the Red Sea. (Report via NASA Worldview/Reuters)

Speaking to Fox News Digital at the time, a State Department spokesperson said the actions of Iran and the Houthis were “unacceptable” and “dangerous” and warned that they could inflame regional tensions and further disrupt global supply chains.

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, told Fox News Digital that he “repeatedly condemned” the Houthis’ attacks on ships in the Red Sea and called on all parties on Thursday to avoid further tensions.

“Any disruption or attack would jeopardize the safety and security of seafarers, freedom of navigation and the stability of global supply chains, and have a negative impact on the economic and humanitarian situation in Yemen and beyond,” Dujarric said. he said. In the resolution condemning at least two dozen Houthi attacks on commercial ships since November 2023 and demanding an immediate halt to the attacks, “The Secretary-General underlines that UN Security Council Resolution 2722 (2024) must be fully respected.” he said.

The emerging threat has also renewed scrutiny of Iranian weapons networks that helped build the Houthis’ missile and drone arsenal.

Amr Al-Bidh, chief of foreign relations at the Transitional Council of South Arabia, said the reported threat also exposed broader failures in addressing the security crisis in Yemen. “The release of individuals convicted of selling Iranian weapons to the Houthis and leading terrorist operations under a UN-brokered deal underscores how poorly the Yemen crisis has been handled,” he said. “The main beneficiary of this loophole is Iran, as reflected in its credible threat to close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.”

In a July 15 letter obtained by Fox News Digital, the South Arab Transitional Council, formerly known as the Southern Transitional Council, a southern Yemeni separatist movement seeking greater autonomy or independence for the former South Yemeni territory, warned U.N. Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg that a U.N.-facilitated detention agreement could include individuals the council said were convicted of helping Iran transfer arms to the Houthis.

In this statement photo published on January 12, 2024, a missile was launched from a warship during the US-led coalition’s operation against military targets in Yemen, knocking out Iran-backed Houthi militia targeting international shipping in the Red Sea from an undisclosed location. (via US Central Command X/Comment/File Photo via REUTERS)

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

Attached are the identities of people who the council alleges are members of a cell that smuggled drones, aviation fuel and heavy and medium weapons from Iran to Sanaa.

The UN Special Representative for Yemen stated that the letter reached them only after the agreement was signed, and emphasized that it has not been determined which detainees will be released.
“We received the letter after the agreement was signed,” spokeswoman Ismini Palla told Fox News Digital. “The United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) do not decide who will be released and who will remain in custody. Our role is limited to mediating negotiations, and the ICRC leads the implementation of the release operation.”
Palla added that “the names of those released were proposed and agreed upon between the parties within the framework of the Stockholm Agreement on prisoner exchange dated 2018.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department and Iran’s Mission to the United Nations about the latest developments.

Fox News’ Paul Tilsley and Reuters contributed to this report.