Iran threatens to blockade Bab el-Mandeb if Kharg is attacked

Iran threatened to increase maritime tension in the region if the United States proceeds with a land operation against the island of Kharg, admitting the possibility of reaching the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the most sensitive passages for international trade. The warning shows that the crisis may no longer focus only on Hormuz and may also begin to pressure access to the Red Sea.

The island of Kharg has a central strategic weight for Tehran, as it concentrates a decisive part of Iranian oil exports. A possible direct attack on that infrastructure would be seen as a threat to the country’s core energy and export capacity, increasing the risk of response on several maritime fronts.

The reference to Bab el-Mandeb worsens the situation because it puts under pressure a second vital route for the movement of goods and energy between Asia, the Middle East and Europe. After the instability in Hormuz, an escalation at that crossing would have a direct impact on freight, insurance, logistics chains and energy markets.

The risk is even greater due to Iranian influence over armed groups active in the Red Sea area, which increases the possibility of tension spreading to new areas of maritime traffic. For the shipping sector, the signal is clear: the crisis no longer threatens just one strait, but two critical points of global circulation.

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