The report says that a possibility that is being discussed within Iran’s leadership now is potentially to ask Yemen’s Houthi movement to be on standby and ready to close the Red Sea oil route, that is if the US decides to strike Iran’s power network next.
The sources mention that the Houthis had recently been informed of the request
Adding that the group had completed preparations to attack shipping by deploying missiles and drones near the Bab el-Mandab strait. For some context, the strait is pretty much the gateway to the Red Sea. As such, any closure or disruption there would just serve to exacerbate the current crisis to the global energy market.
And it would also further disrupt the damage to supply chains and global shipping networks. Any disruption to the strait here could potentially take away up to 8-9 million barrels of oil per day, adding to the dislocation from the Strait of Hormuz closure. The Houthis had already shown some appetite in escalating tensions after having fired missiles at Saudi Arabia on Monday, breaking a four-year truce between the two sides.