Iran is signaling that it may expand pressure on global shipping beyond the Strait of Hormuz by leveraging its Houthi allies in Yemen to threaten the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the narrow waterway connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Together, the two chokepoints are among the world's most strategically important shipping lanes, carrying significant amounts of oil and commercial cargo. Reuters reported that the strategy would allow Iran to widen the conflict beyond the Persian Gulf and increase economic pressure on Washington and its allies.
