Iran’s Yemen-based Houthi militia on Friday clarified that it was not seeking to shut the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to international shipping, insisting that its newly announced maritime blockade was aimed solely at Saudi Arabia.
Mohammed Abdusalam, the group’s chief negotiator, said all reports suggesting the strategic waterway had been closed or would be closed were false.
“There is no closure of Bab el-Mandab as some are suggesting,” Abdusalam wrote on X, adding that the Houthis’ actions were “limited to a maritime blockade that only affects the Saudi side.”
The statement came just days after the Islamist group announced a maritime blockade against Riyadh and claimed responsibility for carrying out attacks on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea on Wednesday.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, is one of the world’s busiest maritime chokepoints and a vital route for global energy shipments, alongside the Strait of Hormuz.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump warned that any further Houthi attacks on shipping would trigger a strong military response against both the Houthis and Iran.
“If they do it again, both Iran and the Houthis will face major military punishment,” Trump said.
Despite the Houthi threat, two supertankers carrying Saudi crude successfully transited the Bab el-Mandeb on Thursday after previously turning away from the waterway. According to reports, the vessels altered their publicly available shipping information to identify themselves as owned and operated by Chinese companies before resuming their voyage.
However, Iran has repeatedly threatened to use its Yemen-based proxy group to shut down the vital waterway should US try to attack Iranian civil infrastructure.
As the strait controls roughly 10% of the total oil and gas flows, it is one of the most important waterways in the world, and its blockade could lead to drastic consequences given that Iran has already blocked the Strait of Hormuz, thus effectively blocking 20% of global energy supplies.
Furthermore, the Houthis have upped the ante of their attacks on commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea since the US-Iran war escalated, arguing that ships linked to countries supporting military action against Tehran and its allies will be deemed legitimate targets for attack.
