Quds Force commander vows 'new resistance belt'; Houthis mobilized to threaten Bab el-Mandeb

Oil and gas shipments face added disruption as alternate routes come under pressure

Vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz near Iran's Larak Island as an Iranian flag flies in the wind on May 16, local time. [Getty Images]
Vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz near Iran's Larak Island as an Iranian flag flies in the wind on May 16, local time. [Getty Images]

Iran has stepped up pressure on the Middle East's key energy shipping lanes.

Esmail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force — the elite unit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — said Monday on social media that the region "will become a new security belt of resistance, from the Strait of Hormuz to the Bab el-Mandeb, from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea," according to Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency.

Qaani said "the heroic actions of Yemen demonstrate the outstanding capabilities of the resistance front," adding that "others will join if necessary."

Iran's theocratic government uses the terms "Axis of Resistance" or "resistance forces" to refer to its proxy groups, including the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen.

Qaani also warned that "warriors without borders are watching," saying that "the evil actions of the Zionist regime and the United States in this region will bring a unified resistance front's response."

The remarks came as the Houthis launched a missile strike against Israel and declared they would block Israeli vessels from transiting the Red Sea. Analysts see the statement as a warning that Iran intends to actively mobilize the Houthis — who hold a geographic advantage that allows them to directly threaten the Red Sea — to assert control over major energy shipping routes.

The Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. [Yonhap]
The Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. [Yonhap]

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, singled out by Qaani, is one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints, much like the Strait of Hormuz. At its narrowest point, the strait is only about 26 kilometers wide and serves as a strategic gateway connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

Global supply chain reports by the IMF and the World Bank estimate that roughly 12 percent of the world's maritime cargo passes through the Bab el-Mandeb. The US Energy Information Administration puts global energy shipments through the strait at 10 percent.

Iran effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, located along its southern coast, shortly after war broke out following US and Israeli strikes on the country in late February. Before the war, the EIA estimated that about 25 percent of global seaborne crude oil trade and 20 percent of liquefied natural gas trade passed through Hormuz.

Euronews reported that if both the Bab el-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz come under threat simultaneously, roughly one-third of the world's seaborne oil and gas shipments would be affected. The outlet said the Houthis' maritime blockade "has put two of the world's most important maritime chokepoints at risk."

Reuters noted that the Red Sea — which had been serving as an alternate shipping route after the Hormuz blockade — now faces its own threat following the outbreak of war with Iran.

The news agency reported that Saudi Arabia, the Middle East's largest oil producer, routes about 70 percent of its average daily crude exports through Yanbu on the Red Sea, a lifeline for energy markets. "If the Houthi rebels continue to disrupt Red Sea shipping or attack vessels and ports, it could become a serious problem," Reuters said.


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