Iran Urges Houthis to Choke Off Red Sea Shipping if U.S. Escalates

Iran has called on its Houthi allies in Yemen to prepare to cut off the Red Sea shipping gateway if the United States strikes Iran's power network, according to sources cited by Reuters. The threat would open a second maritime chokepoint alongside the contested Strait of Hormuz, raising the stakes in an escalating conflict that has already disrupted global energy and shipping routes. Analysts question whether the terror group retains the capacity to sustain such a blockade after prior Western strikes.