"Like the Strait of Hormuz," Iran considers blocking the Strait of Mandeb

Xinhua News Agency: Iran’s top leader’s foreign affairs adviser, Velayati, on the 5th warned the United States that if it “makes another mistake,” the Iran-led resistance front will use the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as a countermeasure.

That day, Velayati posted on social media, saying: “Today, the unified command of the resistance front treats the Strait of Mandeb the same way as the Strait of Hormuz. If the White House makes another stupid mistake, it will soon realize that with just one move, global energy and trade flows will be cut off.”

The Strait of Mandeb connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, serving as a vital throat passage linking the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Indian Ocean. The strait is within the area controlled by Yemen’s Houthi armed forces.

Not long ago, Mujtaba Fildosi pur, head of the Iranian interests representative office in Cairo, Egypt, said in an interview that Iran wants to end the war entirely, not merely call for a ceasefire. “We hope the enemy will not make any further strategic mistakes against Iran. If they want to land on or occupy certain islands of Iran, the Houthi forces may blockade the Strait of Mandeb (which connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden).”

Some media outlets believe that Velayati’s post was a response to the threats issued by U.S. President Donald Trump toward Iran that same day.

On the 5th, Trump posted on social media, saying, “8 p.m. Tuesday (7th) Eastern Time.” Some media interpreted this as the final deadline he set for delaying again the action to destroy Iran’s energy facilities, pushing it back by one day.

Earlier that day, Trump also posted, again urging Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, and threatened that “April 7 will be Iran’s power-plant day and bridge day,” implying a fierce bombardment of Iran’s power plants and bridges. In addition, during a media interview, he said that if Iran does not reach an agreement with the United States as soon as possible, he will order to “blow up everything,” and “take over the oil.”

On March 26, Trump announced that he would delay the destruction operation against Iran’s energy facilities by 10 days, with the deadline extended to 8:00 p.m. on April 6 Eastern Time. By then, this had already been his second time postponing that deadline.

On March 28, Yemen’s Houthi armed forces officially announced that they were joining the U.S.-Iran conflict situation, coordinating pressure on the U.S. and Israel along three lines with Lebanon’s Hezbollah. After the Houthis announced their actions, the Yemeni government condemned what it called Iran’s attempt to drag Yemen into its so-called “futile war.”

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