Current sectionMiddle East NewsIran NewsSources say the group has deployed missiles and drones near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, threatening to disrupt the Middle East's two main energy export routes as U.S.-Iran fighting escalatesShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeReutersand Haaretz06:20 PM • July 16 2026 IDTIran has asked Yemen's Houthi movement to prepare to close the Red Sea oil route through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait if the United States strikes Iranian power infrastructure, three sources told Reuters on Thursday, posing a significant new threat to global energy supplies.Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:HouthisStrait of HormuzHouthi movementIran - U.S.2026 Israel-Iran WarCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Israel NewsIranMahmoud AhmadinejadLindsey GrahamPollKnesset Israel ElectionsHaQuizHaaretz PodcastIran Tells Yemen's Houthis to Close Red Sea Oil Route if U.S. Strikes Power GridNot Just Aid and Investment: Decoupling From America Risks Israel's AI FutureFrom the Eye of the Storm, a Young Woman Captures Jerusalem's Rising ViolenceIt's Time to Make the U.S.-Israel Relationship Normal AgainUnknown Species of Monkey With Orange Lips Reported in Central AfricaRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIInside the Mossad Plot to Install Ahmadinejad as Iran's LeaderThe Original Tradwives of Ancient RomeEgypt Lost the World Cup. But Was the Referee Really Jewish?Eisenkot Is Quietly Gaining Ground in Likud Territory. Enough to Beat Netanyahu?Ro Khanna, U.S. Lawmaker & Israel Critic, Says West Bank Settlers 'Detained' HimI Joined Rep. Ro Khanna on His West Bank Visit. Here's What I Saw