As global markets remain focused on the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, Iran is now threatening disruption at a second major maritime chokepoint, raising fresh concerns about the security of global energy supplies and international trade.
The development comes as analysts warn that any escalation involving the Bab el-Mandeb Strait could send already diminished oil supplies plunging further and intensify pressure on global fuel prices.
Iranian officials have warned that the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — the narrow waterway linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden — could face restrictions if regional tensions continue to escalate.
The threat comes as shipping companies and energy markets remain on edge over the possibility that Tehran could move against traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil transit route.
The warning has drawn heightened attention because Bab el-Mandeb has served as a critical alternative corridor for global shipping amid ongoing disruptions and security concerns in the wider Middle East.
Together, the two waterways form critical arteries for global commerce.
While one-fifth of the world's seaborne oil trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb serves as a key gateway connecting Europe, Asia, and the Middle East through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
Analysts warn that simultaneous disruptions at both chokepoints could trigger a sharp supply shock, sending energy prices higher while increasing costs for manufacturers, retailers, and consumers around the world.
The latest concerns come as Iran continues to signal it is willing to use maritime pressure as leverage in its confrontation with the West and regional rivals.
While Tehran has periodically threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz for years, officials have recently expanded their focus beyond outright closure threats.
Iranian authorities have also floated plans to impose what they describe as navigational or service fees on vessels transiting Hormuz, a move critics say would effectively amount to taxing international shipping through one of the world's most important waterways.
The proposal has generated opposition from the U.S. and other maritime powers, which maintain that international shipping lanes should remain open and free from interference.
Energy traders have been closely monitoring developments because even limited restrictions could have an outsized impact on oil markets.
The Strait of Hormuz handles massive volumes of crude exports from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and other Gulf producers.
Although some exporters have alternative pipelines and routes, few substitutes are capable of replacing the enormous volume of energy that moves through Hormuz each day.
The emergence of Bab el-Mandeb as a potential pressure point has heightened concerns that Iran could broaden the geographic scope of maritime disruptions.
Any sustained threat to shipping through the Red Sea corridor could affect not only oil shipments, but also container traffic moving between Asia and Europe.
The development underscores how quickly regional instability can reverberate through global energy markets, even without direct military escalation.
For now, shipping continues through both waterways.
But the prospect of disruptions at two of the world's most important maritime chokepoints has become a growing concern for traders, shipping companies, and governments worldwide.