Iran Expands Oil Chokepoint Threat as Houthis Eye Red Sea Shipping
Iran has instructed Yemen's Houthi forces to prepare to disrupt Red Sea oil shipping routes if the United States attacks Iranian power infrastructure. Missiles and drones have been deployed near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, with Houthi forces awaiting an order from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to begin attacks. This move represents a strategic pincer by Tehran, leveraging both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb to threaten global oil flows. The article notes that Saudi Arabia now relies on the Red Sea route for 70% of its energy exports after diverting from Hormuz. Tensions escalated following a July 13 Yemeni government strike on Sanaa airport, which prompted Houthi retaliation against Saudi Arabia's Abha airport, breaking a 2022 truce. Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi warned on July 16 that Saudi oil facilities and ports would be targeted if Riyadh does not cease operations. The analysis highlights the risk of a repeat of the 2019 Abqaiq attack on a larger scale with direct Iranian coordination.
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