Iran readies Houthi threat to Bab el-Mandeb if US hits power grid

Iran has told Yemen’s Houthi movement to be ready to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait if the United States strikes Iranian power infrastructure, according to Reuters reporting cited by multiple outlets. A source close to the Houthis said the group had deployed missiles and drones near the Red Sea gateway and was waiting for an order to begin attacks on shipping. The threat would deepen a regional crisis after Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key corridor for global energy flows. It also follows renewed Houthi missile fire at Saudi Arabia, which regional sources said Riyadh was treating seriously as the group coordinates more closely with Tehran.