Fresh concerns are building around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait after a report said Iran asked the Houthis in Yemen to get ready to block the waterway if U.S. attacks target Iranian power infrastructure. The development has raised new alarms over the security of one of the region’s key maritime chokepoints.
According to the report, the Iran-backed group has already prepared drones and missiles for possible strikes in the strait. That has renewed worries about disruption to commercial traffic, especially oil shipments that move through the route linking the Red Sea to wider global trade lanes.
The report is drawing comparisons to the Strait of Hormuz because both waterways are critical to energy transport and international shipping. Any threat to Bab al-Mandeb could quickly affect shipping costs, insurance risks and market sentiment, even if no closure actually takes place.
While the scenario described remains conditional on a wider military escalation, the reported preparations add to existing tension in the region. For energy markets and shipping operators, the possibility of interference in Bab al-Mandeb is again becoming a major geopolitical risk to watch.
