Iran asks Yemen's Houthis to close Bab el-Mandeb if U.S. attacks power plants -- media

This photo taken with a mobile phone shows merchant vessels stranded in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz, near Khasab, a small town in northern Oman, May 29, 2026. (Xinhua/Wen Xinnian)

TEHRAN, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran has requested Yemen's Houthis to remain ready for the closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in case the United States attacks Iranian power plants, Reuters reported on Thursday.

Reuters cited three sources, two senior Iranians and a regional source familiar with the matter, as saying that the idea had been discussed within Iran's leadership, and conveyed to the Houthi group.

Reuters also quoted a source close to the Houthis as saying that the group had completed preparations for attacking ships crossing the Bab el-Mandeb by deploying missiles and drones near the strait, which serves as the gateway to the Red Sea and a main route for global energy supplies.

The source added representatives of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps who are already in Yemen will control the decision on when to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The U.S. Army has launched several waves of strikes against Iran in recent days, claiming that the attacks were in response to the Iranian armed forces' targeting of vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, and aimed at "degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping."

Iran has responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting U.S. military bases and facilities in the region.