Iran threatens Red Sea shipping route as Houthis mobilize in Yemen

The Houthis have increased attacks inside Yemen while reinforcing several front lines.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Iran warned Wednesday it could target a key Red Sea shipping route near Yemen, where its Houthi allies operate, if provoked, while reports indicated the group is increasing military activity on the ground.

A military source cited by the IRGC-linked Tasnim News Agency said Tehran could act against the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategic waterway linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

The strait borders Yemen, where the Iran-backed Houthis have launched attacks on Israel and targeted commercial shipping since October 7.

“If the enemy wants to take action on land in the Iranian islands or anywhere else in our lands or to inflict costs on Iran with naval movements in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, we will open other fronts as a surprise for him so that his action will not only not benefit him but will also double his costs,” the official said.

“The Bab al-Mandab Strait is considered one of the strategic straits in the world, and Iran has both the will and the possibility to produce a completely credible threat against it,” the official added.

Separately, Al-Ain News reported Monday that Houthi forces are carrying out extensive movements in anticipation of possible escalation.

The outlet said the group has increased attacks inside Yemen while reinforcing several front lines.

According to the report, the activity began on March 15 across five fronts, including the western coastal areas of Hodeidah, Taiz, and Lahj.

The Houthis are also testing the defenses of the National Resistance Forces and the Yemeni Army, the report said.

Al-Ain added that various Yemeni forces have raised their operational readiness levels in response to rapidly changing regional and international developments.