Iran tells Houthis to close Red Sea gateway if U.S. hits power network: report
Iran has reportedly instructed Houthi rebels in Yemen to prepare to block the Red Sea shipping route if the United States attacks Iranian power infrastructure. This potential escalation threatens to disrupt global energy supplies by closing a critical maritime gateway.
Why it matters
A simultaneous closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb strait would severely destabilize global oil markets and exacerbate the ongoing energy crisis.
Iran has asked Yemen’s Houthi movement to stand ready to close the Red Sea oil route if the United States strikes Iranian power infrastructure, three sources told Reuters on Thursday (July 16, 2026), posing a potent new threat to global energy supplies.
The idea has been discussed within the Islamic Republic’s leadership, and the message has been conveyed to Iran’s Houthi allies, two senior Iranian sources and a regional source familiar with the matter said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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The sources said the Houthis had been informed recently of Tehran’s request, which has not been previously reported.
They did not give further details on how it had been conveyed or whether it was after U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to attack Iranian power infrastructure on Tuesday (July 14, 2026).
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