Yemen Monitor / Tehran / Reuters:
Three sources told Reuters on Thursday that Iran has instructed Yemen’s Houthi group to prepare to shut down the Red Sea oil shipping route if the U.S. launches strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, presenting a significant new threat to global energy supplies.
Two senior Iranian officials and a regional source familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the proposal was discussed within Iran’s leadership and that the message was subsequently conveyed to Tehran’s Houthi allies.
According to the sources, the Houthis were recently informed of Tehran’s request, a development that had not previously been reported.
The sources did not provide further details on how the message was delivered or whether it came after U.S. President Donald Trump’s warning on Tuesday that the US could target Iran’s energy infrastructure.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry and a Houthi spokesperson did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
A source close to the Houthis said the group had completed preparations for attacks on shipping routes by deploying missiles and drones near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, in mountainous areas overlooking Hudaidah and the Gulf of Aden, and was awaiting orders to begin operations.
Any disruption to the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait would significantly worsen the global energy crisis already triggered by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, highlighting the escalating risks of a broader regional conflict.
With the Strait of Hormuz already closed, Houthi attacks on vessels or ports in the Red Sea would simultaneously disrupt the Middle East’s two principal oil export routes, opening a new front in both the global energy crisis and Iran’s wider confrontation with the US.
The source close to the Houthis added that representatives of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) already present in Yemen would determine the timing of any move to close Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Reflecting rising regional tensions, the Houthis recently launched missiles toward Saudi Arabia after accusing the Kingdom of bombing an airport under their control on Monday, effectively ending a four-year truce between the two sides.
Torbjorn Soltvedt, Head of Middle East Analysis at Verisk Maplecroft, said the renewed escalation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia had come at a particularly sensitive time.
“If the fighting intensifies and spreads to oil export infrastructure and Red Sea shipping, it will threaten the only major alternative route for the region’s oil exports,” he said.
Two regional sources close to Riyadh said Saudi Arabia is taking the Iranian and Houthi threats seriously and believes the Yemeni group is now coordinating closely with Iran regarding developments in the Red Sea.
According to the Reuters report, the current conflict began on February 28, when Israel and the United States launched attacks on Iran, prompting Tehran to close the Strait of Hormuz, which had previously handled roughly one-fifth of global energy supplies.
Tensions have continued to escalate following the collapse of a fragile ceasefire between Tehran and Washington in June, reviving fears of a wider regional war and disrupting energy flows through the Gulf.
“Closing the Red Sea Would Not Be Difficult”
Since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a significant share of Gulf oil exports has been redirected through a Saudi pipeline to the Red Sea, which now carries approximately 7% of global energy supplies.
During previous Houthi attacks on commercial shipping amid the Gaza war, major shipping companies rerouted vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, significantly increasing transit times and costs.
With Saudi Arabia now exporting about 70% of its energy shipments through the Red Sea port of Yanbu, any direct attacks there would also pose a serious threat to global oil markets.
One regional source said Iran’s clerical leadership seeks to increase pressure on the US by raising the potential economic cost to the global economy through threats to Red Sea shipping and Saudi oil exports. The source described this as part of Iran’s broader strategic thinking.
The source added that closing Bab al-Mandab Strait would not be difficult, saying:
“Anyone with a rifle can disrupt shipping. You don’t need advanced missiles to interfere with maritime traffic.”
Iran regards the Houthis as part of its regional “Axis of Resistance,” which also includes Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iraqi Shiite armed factions that have already become involved in the broader confrontation between Tehran and Washington.
However, the Houthi movement has not yet formally entered that wider conflict.
The United States has long accused Iran of supplying the Houthis with weapons, funding, and training—including support routed through Hezbollah—allegations that Tehran continues to deny.
