Iran on Thursday warned it could threaten the Bab al‑Mandeb Strait, a vital global shipping route, if the United States and Israel choose to escalate the war by any attempt of ground invasion of Iranian territory including critical Kharg Island, The New York Post reported.
Tehran already exerts control over the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one‑fifth of the world’s oil normally flows, and that opening another front would aggravate economic disruption from the Middle East conflict. The Bab al‑Mandeb Strait — whose name in Arabic means “Gate of Tears” — links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is one of the world’s most important shipping corridors.
