IRGC Warns of Blocking Energy Shipping Routes as Middle East Tensions Escalate

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned that it could block regional maritime energy export routes that benefit the United States and its allies. In a statement published by the state-run IRNA news agency, the IRGC declared, “Either everyone will benefit from regional energy exports, or no one will.”

Analysts believe the statement signals that Iran may use Yemen’s Houthi movement to disrupt shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s key energy transit routes. The warning comes after Iran reportedly closed the Strait of Hormuz and the United States reimposed sanctions on Iranian ports, further heightening tensions in the Middle East.

A senior Houthi leader also warned that if attacks on Yemen continue, the group is prepared to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a move that could significantly disrupt global energy supplies and drive up international oil prices.

Ashik/M.