US EditionIran Threatens to Extend War to Bab el-Mandeb Strait
Iran threatens to disrupt key maritime routes including the Bab al-Mandeb Strait if the US attacks Kharg Island, risking wider regional conflict and impacting global shipping, Tasnim reported.
- On Wednesday, an Iranian military source warned that Tehran would create "insecurity" in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb Strait if the United States attacks Kharg Island, potentially striking shipping and oil facilities.
- Kharg Island processes 90 percent of Iran's oil exports, serving as a critical hub. President Donald Trump previously stated the U.S. "totally obliterated" military targets there, warning he would reconsider dismantling oil infrastructure if Tehran interferes with Strait of Hormuz passage.
- Yemen's Houthi movement, which previously disrupted Red Sea shipping, stands ready to strike again in solidarity with Tehran. One Houthi leader told Reuters the forces remain "fully militarily ready" to open a new front if conflict escalates.
- The Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a chokepoint handling significant global trade, faces severe risk from these threats. Disruption could spike fuel prices sharply and force expanded U.S. naval deployments to protect commercial shipping.
- Weighing a potential ground invasion of Kharg Island, the White House aims to compel Iran to stop blocking vessel traffic. Tehran warned that any such move would trigger an "unprecedented" response, potentially doubling regional conflict costs.
54 Articles
54 Articles
Trump faces new oil shock threat as Iran eyes second strait
It’s not just Hormuz. There’s a second strait in the Middle East vital to global energy markets that Iran is threatening to close if President Donald Trump fails to wind down the Iran war. The world is already experiencing the worst disruption to global energy markets in history following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. But if Iranian proxies close the Bab el-Mandeb strait — a busy Red Sea choke point — it would compound global financial woes …
The Ormuz Strait may not be the only blocked sea crossing. Located at the end of the Red Sea, Iran also threatens to block it in the event of a land attack by the United States.
Yemen's Houthis Ready to Join Iran War, Raising New Shipping Risk
In a move that would deepen a global oil and economic crisis brought on by the war in the Middle East, a Houthi leader told Reuters that Yemen's Houthi movement stands ready to strike the key waterway again in solidarity with Tehran.
Bab el-Mandeb, on the Red Sea, is a key strategic point; it was already attacked during the Gaza war.
Some diplomats and analysts claim that the group is waiting for the right time to enter the conflict
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