A senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader has warned that Iranian-aligned forces could close the Bab Al Mandeb strait, a vital shipping route connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, heightening global energy risks.

Ali Akbar Velayati, a former Iranian foreign minister, said the “unified command of the Resistance front views Bab Al Mandeb as it does Hormuz,” referencing Tehran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 per cent of the world’s oil and gas passes in peacetime.

The Bab Al Mandeb, lying between Yemen, Djibouti, and Eritrea, is 29 km wide at its narrowest point and handles roughly 5 per cent of global oil shipments and 10 per cent of world trade.

Its strategic importance has grown since Iran restricted traffic through Hormuz, prompting Saudi Arabia to increase use of its East-West Pipeline to ship crude to the Red Sea port of Yanbu.

The strait is effectively controlled by Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen, who have previously disrupted shipping during regional conflicts.

Experts warn that even limited attacks on vessels could halt traffic, worsening the ongoing energy supply crisis triggered by the US-Iran war.

“If Bab Al Mandeb and Hormuz are both restricted, it could block a quarter of the world’s oil and gas supply,” said Elisabeth Kendall, Middle East specialist at Cambridge University, calling it a “nightmare scenario” for global trade.

While the Houthis have shown the capability to disrupt the strait, analysts note they may avoid full-scale action to prevent provoking Saudi Arabia or broader international retaliation.