Iran, Major Warning! Strait of Malacca, Breaking News! Russia urgently evacuates 198 people

The Strait of Mandeb—Sudden Developments!

According to reports by U.S. media, Iran’s parliamentary speaker threatened to cut off commercial shipping traffic through the Strait of Mandeb, the vital “choke point” of the Red Sea.

Market analysts noted that the Strait of Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz together form the two major “choke points” for Middle East oil exports. If a blockade of the Strait of Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz were to overlap, it could further drive the sustained surge in crude oil prices.

Regarding the latest developments in Iran’s situation, according to a report by CCTV International News, a spokesperson for the Central Command of Iran’s armed forces, Hatem Anbiya, issued a statement warning the U.S. and Israel, saying, “If the situation continues to escalate, the entire region will turn into hell for you.”

Of note, Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant was attacked again on the 4th. Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation removed 198 people from the plant. Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation’s chief executive said that the situation around the nuclear power plant is moving in the most unfavorable direction, and the risk of a nuclear accident is increasing.

U.S. media: Iran’s parliamentary speaker threatens to cut off shipping through the Strait of Mandeb

On the afternoon of April 5, according to a reference news report citing a story on the website of NBC News in the United States dated April 3, Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf appeared to say that he would block commercial shipping traffic through the Strait of Mandeb, the Red Sea choke point.

According to the report, Qalibaf posted on the social platform X, saying: “How much of the world’s share of oil, liquefied natural gas, wheat, rice, and fertilizers has to pass through the Strait of Mandeb?” He went on to write: “Which countries and companies have the highest share of cargo volumes transported through that strait?”

The threat to the Strait of Mandeb was issued at a time when Iran had already cut off shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to a large extent. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has thrown the global economy into turmoil.

The Strait of Mandeb connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. It is the “choke point” linking the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Indian Ocean. At its narrowest point, it is only about 30 kilometers wide, and is known as the “water corridor” connecting Europe, Asia, and Africa. Data show that about 12% of the world’s trade transport and nearly the same proportion of seaborne oil trade pass through the Strait of Mandeb. During the earlier conflict between Israel and Palestine, for retaliation against Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, Yemen’s Houthi forces repeatedly attacked Israeli-related vessels in the Red Sea, demonstrating their military capability covering the Red Sea.

Some analysts believe that if a blockade of the Strait of Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz were to overlap, it could further drive the sustained surge in crude oil prices. At that time, the global economy would have to face a series of severe pressures at the same time, including shipping paralysis, higher logistics costs, runaway inflation triggered by energy shortages, and factories forced to cut production due to disruption of raw material supply.

In late March, an Iranian military source who declined to be named said that if the enemy attempted to launch ground operations against Iranian islands or the homeland, or exert pressure on Iran in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman through naval actions, Iran would open a new front in the Strait of Mandeb. Mohammad Bouheti, a member of Yemen’s Houthi political bureau, also said that to support Iran, the group might blockade the Strait of Mandeb.

Iran issues a warning: If the situation escalates, the entire region will become hell

According to CCTV International News, on April 4 local time, a spokesperson for the Central Command of Iran’s armed forces, Hatem Anbiya, issued a statement warning the U.S. and Israel, saying, “If the situation continues to escalate, the entire region will turn into hell for you.”

The statement said that Iran carried out the 94th wave of strikes in the “True Promise 4” operation in the early morning of April 4. On the morning of April 5, the naval and air and space forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps used “Hajji Qasim,” “Haibar Sheshan,” and “Kader” missiles to carry out the 95th wave of strikes against U.S. and Israeli targets. The statement also said that an Iranian attack was carried out on a cargo ship flying the flag of a third country and affiliated with Israel at the Khalifa bin Salman Port in Bahrain.

On April 4 local time, Bushehr province officials said that the area around the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant was attacked again—marking the fourth time since the conflict between the U.S. and Iran.

The official said that the attack resulted in the death of a security personnel at the nuclear power plant and damaged an auxiliary building, but did not affect the plant’s normal operation. The Iranian side said that the relevant attacks violated regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency regarding safety of nuclear facilities. Further information is still pending notification.

Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation’s chief executive, Likhaov, said on April 4 that after the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant was attacked, the company’s staff at the plant began taking buses to withdraw to the border between Iran and Armenia, and the plan is to return to Russia by air from Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. The first batch of evacuees totaled 198 people. Likhaov said that after the U.S.-Israeli strikes near the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, the situation around the plant is developing in the most unfavorable direction, and the risk of a nuclear accident is increasing day by day.

According to a report by CCTV News, on April 4, Iran’s foreign minister Aragchi posted on social media warning that if Israel and the United States bomb the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in Iran and cause a nuclear leak, neighboring countries in areas closer to the nuclear power plant will face threats to their lives.

The Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant is located outside the southern Iranian city of Bushehr, built along the shores of the Persian Gulf, and is the only operating nuclear power plant in Iran.

The Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant project was originally initiated by Germany’s Siemens in the 1970s, but was later interrupted due to U.S. pressure. In 1995, Iran and Russia signed an agreement under which Russia continued the construction of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, and Russia officially handed over the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant to Iran in September 2013.

On April 4 local time, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova commented on the matter of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant being attacked again, saying that Russia feels deeply concerned and strongly condemns this atrocity that caused casualties.

Zakharova said that Russia has noted the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Director General Grossi’s deep concern about this attack. She said that he clearly emphasized that the area where the nuclear power plant and the key nuclear safety systems are located must never become a target of military strikes.