TL;DR
The Houthis retain the option to close the Bab al-Mandeb but are waiting for a signal from Tehran.
MSM Perspective
Time and Reuters describe a conditional pause awaiting Tehran's coordination signal.
X Perspective
X sees Houthi restraint as proof Iran is holding its proxies in reserve for maximum leverage.
The Houthis have not fired on Red Sea shipping since the Iran war began on February 28. They have also not said they won't. [1]
Yemen's Iran-aligned militia maintains what analysts call a "conditional pause." Abed al-Thawr, a Yemeni military official, said in late March that "closing the Bab al-Mandab Strait" remains among the Houthis' primary options if the war escalates. [2] A senior Iranian source told Reuters that "if the situation gets out of control, Iran's allies will also close the Bab el-Mandeb." [1]
The restraint is strategic, not humanitarian. The Houthis fired a barrage at Israel on March 28, demonstrating they retain missile and drone capability. Major shipping lines — Maersk, CMA CGM — pulled out of the Red Sea corridor within days of the war's start. [2]
The dual-chokepoint scenario persists: Hormuz partially blocked by mines, Bab al-Mandeb one decision away from closure. If both shut simultaneously, approximately 35 percent of global seaborne oil would be stranded.
X reads the pause as proof Iran is sequencing its leverage. MSM covers the Houthis as a secondary story. The Bab al-Mandeb is not secondary. It is the second barrel.
-- YOSEF STERN, Jerusalem
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