Iran tells Houthis to close Red Sea gateway if US hits power network: Reuters
Iran is signaling it may widen pressure on global shipping, with the waterway carrying about 7% of global energy supplies, analysts said.
- On Thursday, sources told Reuters that Iran asked the Houthi movement to prepare to close the Red Sea shipping route if the United States strikes Iranian power infrastructure, posing a potent threat to global energy supplies.
- Escalating regional tensions follow the collapse of a June truce between Tehran and Washington, while Houthis recently broke a four-year truce with Saudi Arabia, firing missiles after accusing the kingdom of bombing an airport on Monday.
- Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps representatives stationed in Yemen will control the closure decision, while the threatened waterway carries around 7% of global energy supplies and 70% of Saudi energy exports through the port of Yanbu.
- Closing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait could push oil prices to $200 per barrel, as Iran aims to widen conflict beyond the Persian Gulf and increase economic pressure on Washington and its allies.
- Middle East analyst Fawaz Gerges said, "Iran is willing to go all the way," signaling Tehran's strategy to threaten multiple chokepoints, while former peace negotiator Dennis Ross warns Washington faces challenges altering Tehran's calculus to return to negotiations.
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31 Articles
Iran vows to 'crush' regional infrastructure if US strikes escalate
Iran said its response to any US strike on its infrastructure would result in destruction across the region, as multiple reports said Tehran had asked the Houthis to be ready to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, threatening a second global shipping chokepoint.
Iran turns to Houthis for Red Sea blockade if US hits its power network
Iran has asked Yemen's Houthi movement to be ready to shut the Bab el-Mandeb Strait if the US attacks Iranian power infrastructure. The reported plan raises the risk of wider disruption to global energy supplies and Red Sea shipping.
(Cairo=Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Sang-hoon = Iran has been warned to prepare to blockade the Red Sea oil shipping lanes in case its power infrastructure is attacked by the United States...
Iran threatens with retaliation in further US attacks +++ USA increase pressure on Iran with new attacks and threats +++ Iran: Control of the Hormus road is "red line" +++ The newsblog.
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