How serious is Iran’s threat to disrupt shipping in the Red Sea?

After the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s IRGC warns it could next target Bab al-Mandeb.

The Bab al-Mandeb Strait wields importance as a global shipping artery, linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

This week, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened to turn the Bab al-Mandeb Strait into its next front in the war with the US. Such a move would mean relying on its Houthi allies in Yemen to block the vital shipping route.

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But how serious is this threat, and what would the implications be for an already volatile region – and the global economy?

Ali Ahmadi – Executive fellow at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy

Ian Ralby – Senior fellow at the Center for Maritime Strategy

Farea Al Muslimi – Research fellow at Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Programme

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/video/inside-story/2026/7/16/how-serious-is-irans-threat-to-disrupt-shipping-in-the-red-sea?traffic_source=rss