Iran renews threat to Mideast's other vital shipping lane, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, as war escalates

Iran has renewed its threat to ask its Houthi allies in Yemen to block another key waterway in the Middle East if the U.S. and Israel escalate their war against Iran, the Reuters news agency reported Tuesday.

Reuters quoted an unnamed senior Iranian source as saying "if the situation gets out of control," Tehran "allies will also close Bab el-Mandeb waterway."

The Iranian backed Houthi rebels, who control a vast portion of Yemen, have attacked ships in and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait before.  Like the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has kept closed to most shipping traffic in retaliation for the ongoing U.S.-Israeli attacks, the Bab el-Mandeb is a vital conduit for natural gas and oil products exported from the Middle East.

An Iranian military official was first quoted in late March by the country's state media as saying the Bab el-Mandeb could be targeted. The strait is the southern gateway from the Red Sea into the Arabian Sea and all points beyond. An estimated 10% of the world's oil supply flows through the passage, which is bordered by Djibouti to the south and Yemen to the north.

While the Houthis have stayed out of the Iran war thus far, its leaders have warned they could engage if Tehran asks them to.