If the United States attacks Iran’s power infrastructure or national grid, it has ordered Yemen’s Houthi rebels to be ready to shut down important oil transport routes in the Red Sea.
According to the British news agency Reuters, two senior Iranian officials and a regional source confirmed the news.
Sources said the issue was discussed at a high level in Tehran and a message was also conveyed to the Houthis, Iran’s allies. However, it is not clear how the order was sent or whether it was given after the recent threat from US President Donald Trump. There was no immediate comment from Iran’s foreign ministry and the Houthi group in response to a question from Reuters.
A source close to the Houthis said missiles and drones had been deployed around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait from Yemen’s Hodaidah region. Preparations for the attack on commercial ships have also been completed and now they are only waiting for the final order.
According to analysts, if the shipwreck in the Bab al-Mandeb and the Red Sea is already disrupted by the stalemate, the two major energy export routes in the Middle East will be virtually shut down. This could severely disrupt global energy supply as well as increase oil prices and transportation costs.
According to Houthi-linked sources, the representatives of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Yemen will make a final decision on the closure of the Bab al-Mandeb strain. The Houthis have already launched a missile strike against Riyadh for an attack on an airport under Saudi Arabia, which has also brought renewed uncertainty to the year-old ceasefire.
Tarborjorn Solvod, a head analyst for Middle East at risk analysis firm Verisk Maplcroft, warned that the conflict could lead to a major crisis in the global energy supply if the conflict spreads to red sea shipping and oil export infrastructure.
According to Reuters, Saudi Arabia is also closely monitoring the threat. According to regional sources, Tehran’s direct directives in the military action of the Houthis have become clearer.
Source: Reuters