The Iranian military warned that if the U.S. maritime blockade continues, it will blockade not only the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman but also the Red Sea. It is the first time the Iranian armed forces have officially warned of additional blockades of major maritime trade routes, including the Red Sea, in response to the U.S. maritime blockade.

According to the state-run IRIB in Iran on the 15th (local time), Major General Ali Abdollahi of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Military Headquarters, which oversees unified command of the Iranian armed forces, said in a statement that “the aggressive and terroristic United States is continuing an illegal maritime blockade and is threatening the safety of Iranian merchant vessels and oil tankers”.

He stressed that “such actions by the United States would be a prelude to violating the ceasefire agreement” and that “if the U.S. blockade measures continue, we will take a strong military response”.

He added, “The powerful Iranian armed forces will not tolerate any export or import activities passing through the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Red Sea,” and “Iran will act decisively, mobilizing all means, to defend national sovereignty and interests”.

Amid talk that a second round of talks with the United States could come as early as this week, the hardline stance emerging from the Iranian military is seen as a strategy to boost negotiating leverage.

Experts have warned that if the United States blockades Iranian ports at sea, the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen could seal off the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the gateway to the Red Sea.

Although Mohabad Bagher, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, and the state broadcaster have previously posted on social media referring to a blockade of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, this is the first time the Iranian military has officially mentioned it.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a waterway between southwestern Yemen and Djibouti, a chokepoint leading to the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean, through which 10% of global seaborne trade passes.

On average, 50∼60 merchant ships pass each day, and flows of crude oil·petroleum products reach about 9 million barrels per day. At its narrowest point, it is only about 30㎞ wide, making it highly vulnerable to military blockade.

After the war in the Gaza Strip broke out, the Houthi rebels attacked merchant vessels transiting this strait in 2024, saying they were supporting the Palestinian armed faction Hamas, and cargo volumes plunged by more than 40%. If the Strait of Hormuz is blocked and this strait is also sealed off, a tremendous shockwave would be added to global shipping logistics, and the worldwide energy supply crunch is expected to intensify.