The head of Iran’s central military command – Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters (KCHQ) – Maj Gen Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi today warned of further disruptions to global maritime energy transit, threatening to disrupt shipping across the Red Sea by blocking the vital Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb corridor, if the US continues its blockade of Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf and “creates insecurity for Iran’s commercial vessels and oil tankers”.
“The powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic will not allow any exports or imports to continue in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Red Sea,” Ali Abdollahi said in an official message conveyed by Iranian state media.
Prior to the ceasefire, Tehran had threatened to block the Strait and disrupt all shipping across the Red Sea – which harbours a number of ports crucial to global energy markets – and the wider Gulf by upping the ante of Houthi piracy.
Much like its control over the Strait of Hormuz, Iran exercises substantial control over the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which is the southern gateway to the Red Sea, and a highly effective chokepoint that could be used to disrupt all shipping across the region by subjecting it to attacks by the Houthi militants in Yemen, which it backs.
The Houthis control a vast portion of Yemen bordering the Red Sea, and are notorious for piracy, frequently having attacked trading vessels and military ships alike.
Similar to the Strait of Hormuz, over which both the US and Iran claim to have control, the Bab-el-Mandeb is a vital conduit for natural gas and oil products exported from West Asia, accounting for over 10 per cent of the total global energy transit.
In remarks carried by state media, the Iranian military as early as March had threatened to disrupt shipping by targeting this waterway, which, if taken together with the already paralysed traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, would collectively disrupt 30 pc of all global oil transit, and deliver a devastating blow to the already rattled energy market.
So far, the Houthis have stayed out of the Iran war, as they have mostly sat on the sidelines, except for occasionally attacking Israeli and US vessels, though by and lar its leaders have repeatedly warned that they could escalate its attacks and become a full-fledged player in the war, should Tehran ask them to.
