Iran Signals It Could Order Houthis to Close Red Sea Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Widening Shipping Threat

A senior Yemeni official warned Monday that Houthi forces are prepared to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait if Saudi Arabia continues strikes on Yemen, telling Iran's Press TV that closing both Bab el-Mandeb and Hormuz "in an operational alliance" could push oil prices to $200 a barrel 12. Ansarullah political bureau member Mohammed al-Farah made the statement, characterizing Saudi strikes as incited by Washington 1. Middle East scholar Fawaz Gerges told Reuters Iran "is willing to go all the way" and is signaling it can threaten both chokepoints simultaneously, while King's College London's Andreas Krieg called the Bab el-Mandeb threat "another nuclear option" for Tehran, deployable only if all-out war becomes unavoidable 13. Gulf Research Center chairman Abdulaziz Sager said the Houthis retain the capability to disrupt Bab el-Mandeb navigation but are unlikely to act without direction from Tehran, adding that both a victorious and a defeated Iran carry consequences for the region and that Gulf states may accept certain costs to preserve stability 13.