A senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader has warned that Tehran's allies could close the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, just as Iran has effectively done with the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement was made by Ali Akbar Velayati, a former Iranian foreign minister and an influential figure in the Iranian establishment. In a message on the X network, he warned that “the united command of the Resistance front sees Bab al-Mandeb as the same as Hormuz.”
According to him, if the White House repeats its "foolish mistakes," the flow of energy and global trade could be disrupted very quickly.
The Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and then the Indian Ocean, is one of the world's most important maritime routes for oil trade. About 5 percent of global oil supplies pass through it, and together with the Strait of Hormuz, it forms a vital corridor for global energy.
Experts warn that if both straits were closed simultaneously, about a quarter of global oil and gas supplies would be blocked, as well as a large part of Asia's trade with Europe.
The area is controlled in practice by the Houthis rebels in Yemen, allies of Iran, who have previously shown themselves capable of hitting ships and disrupting maritime traffic in the Red Sea.
Analysts warn that a blockage of the Bab al-Mandeb would create a "nightmare scenario" for global trade, worsening the energy crisis and hitting supplies to Europe.
