Iran signals possible Bab el-Mandeb blockade amid Strait of Hormuz disruption

Amid global disruptions in energy supply due to Iran’s blockade of the crucial Strait of Hormuz, the Islamic Republic hinted that it might target another key shipping route, the Bab el-Mandeb or Bab al-Mandab strait, which is the fourth largest in the world, accounting for about 12 per cent of global oil shipments.

The revelation came to light from a post on X by the Islamic Republic’s Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who, in a cryptic message,, asked what share of the global oil and energy shipment the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait accounts for.

“What share of global oil, LNG, wheat, rice, and fertiliser shipments transits the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait? Which countries and companies account for the highest transit volumes through the strait?” stated Ghalibaf on Saturday (April 4).

Geography and regional tensions

The development assumes significance as the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Moreover, there is Yemen, located on one side of the waterway, from where the Houthis, a part of Iran’s Axis of Resistance, had recently threatened to disrupt shipping through Bab el-Mandeb.

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The Houthi forces have occasionally targeted commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since the beginning of Israel’s war in Gaza, claiming that the attacks were aimed at ships linked to Israel.

Escalation warning from Tehran

Earlier, Iran had also signalled that it could move to block the Bab al-Mandeb Strait if the US and Israel expand the conflict by targeting Iranian territory, including strategic islands such as Kharg.

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“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,” Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported, citing Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sources.

“We will open other fronts for them as a surprise so that their action will not only be of no benefit to them but will also double their costs,” it added.

Houthis and broader threat posture

Reports from Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency indicate that Yemen’s Houthi forces, aligned with Tehran, may enter the fray, with an eye on asserting control over Bab al-Mandeb at the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula.

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The report stated that such a move would serve to “discipline” US and Israeli forces, with Iran capable of mounting a “credible threat”, while the “heroic forces” of Ansarullah are described as “fully prepared to play a skilful role.”

Iran’s backing of the Houthis has already altered shipping patterns in the Red Sea, particularly since October 2023, when the group began targeting vessels in response to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.