Iran told Yemen’s Houthi rebels Wednesday to prepare to close the crucial Bab el Mandeb Strait — the critical shipping lane on the west side of the Arabian Peninsula— if the US strikes Iranian power plants.
The Iran-backed Houthis have completed preparations to deploy missiles and drones to attack shipping near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical gateway to the Red Sea, a source close to the group told Reuters.
Iran has already declared that the Strait of Hormuz, on the east side of the Arabian Peninsua — is closed, and fired on multiple ships that have tried to pass through it.
Satellite imagery shows Bab el Mandeb Strait, a key shipping waterway and the gateway to the Red Sea. via REUTERS A source close to the Houthis said the group had completed preparations to attack shipping by deploying missiles and drones near Bab el-Mandeb Strait. REUTERSThe Islamic Republic’s leadership recently requested the Houthis to shutter the strait between Yemen and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa if the US attacks Tehran’s power infrastructure, sources added. The US has already hit more than 2,000 targets along Iran’s state-run electrical grid during previously strikes — putting a strain on the country’s power grid, according to Arab media.
A disruption to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, could escalate a global energy crisis already fueled by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The Houthis also escalated tensions in the region, snarling a four-year truce by firing missiles at Saudi Arabia after accusing them of bombing an airport under their control on Monday.
Armed Yemeni supporters of the Iran-backed Houthi movement brandish their weapons during a protest against US strikes on Iran in Sanaa on July 10, 2026. AFP via Getty Images A Houthi tribesman in Yemen holds an RPG at a gathering to mobilize fighters on July 6, 2026. YAHYA ARHAB/EPA/Shutterstock U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) completed an additional round of strikes against Iran at 10 p.m. ET, July 14. CENTCOMThough more vessels pass through the Strait of Hormuz annually, a significant amount of Gulf oil has been diverted to the Red Sea through a Saudi pipeline, with the waterway now carrying roughly 7% of global energy supplies.
The Houthi attacks on vessels would leave the Middle East’s two main oil export routes disrupted and throw the industry into chaos, experts said.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the war in Iran:
Iranian lawmaker proposes invading US base, capturing ‘100 Americans’ to hold in Tehran US launches new round of strikes against Iran as war of Strait of Hormuz threatens critical oil supplies US Navy blockade stops 2 Iran-linked ships at Hormuz — as Tehran threatens to attack other ‘export corridors’ Trump warns US will ‘knock out’ Iran’s power plants and bridges next week — unless regime makes a dealSatellite image of the Strait of Hormuz showing tanker and cargo vessel traffic on July 16, 2026. MarineTraffic
“If fighting intensifies and spills over into Red Sea export infrastructure and shipping, it will threaten the only major alternative route for oil exports from the region,” said Torbjorn Solvedt, principal Middle East analyst with risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft.
Tensions have already led the price of Brent crude oil to remain stubbornly high, costing more than $84 per barrel on Thursday, about 22% higher than a year ago.
The average price of gas in the US has also skyrocketed to $3.94 a gallon, about 10 cents higher than last week.
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