Iran could order Houthi rebels to close the Suez Canal in a last-ditch effort to paralyze global trade and force Trump out of power, an expert has warned.
Armed militias in Yemen entered the war by firing missiles at Israel overnight, saying their involvement was the Iranian regime’s only remaining advantage over the US and Israel.
Experts say his declaration of war against Iran’s enemies could have serious consequences for the entire world.
It is feared that Houthi rebel camps have been set up on the coast of the Red Sea and that through their heavy arsenal – all funded by Tehran – they could begin firing on trade ships on the mullah’s orders.
Iran has already threatened to deploy proxies to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key barrier to trade between Europe and Asia, if the US makes a ground deployment.
This vital waterway leads directly to the Suez Canal and could plunge the world into economic crisis if it were blocked by the Houthis.
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It would become the second major trade route to be closed during the conflict, after Western ships were banned from passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
A blockade of both routes would effectively mean that nearly half of all maritime trade would be at the will of the IRGC – increasing pressure on the US to end the war in order to restore global trade routes.
Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, said Iran’s mobilization of its deadly proxy fighters is likely to allow the regime to use the last “leverage” it has.
The Houthis have not entered the war as an independent actor but are being “directed by the IRGC,” Brodsky said.
Tehran is expanding the geography of the conflict to “make the US pay a greater economic and political price”.
Brodsky told The Sun: “The Houthis’ attack on Israel was a warning from Iran that it could go further – this attack represents the minimum potential.”
The Houthis – who control much of Yemen – said on Friday their fingers were on the trigger and they were prepared for “direct military intervention” if a new coalition joins the US and Israel in the conflict.
Houthi military mouthpiece Yahya Sari announced on Friday that rebels would attack Washington And israel If they use the Red Sea to conduct “hostile operations” against Iran.
He also called for an immediate halt to the attacks on Iran and warned against any further tightening of what he described as a “blockade on Yemen”.
The group has now said that it will continue in the struggle until all its goals are achieved.
Brodsky said: “Tehran saw what the Houthis were able to do in the maritime domain after the October 7 massacre in Israel, and it will apply the lessons learned in Operation Epic Fury.”
During the war in Gaza, the Houthis wreaked havoc on international shipping in the Red Sea.
Last July, the world watched as the group sank two giant cargo ships within days of each other.
The rebels also sank the bulk carrier Magic Seas in another hellish attack.
The dramatic attacks led to a decline in maritime traffic, while insurance costs soared in one of the world’s major shipping lanes.
If the Suez Canal is closed by Iran and its proxies, it will bring with it major consequences.
It was closed for several days in 2021 when the ship Ever Given became stuck in the waterway at a perpendicular angle, blocking traffic in both directions.
The impact of the closure meant that £6.5 billion worth of global trade was halted for each day it was not in use.
Crude oil prices skyrocketed and Britain faced many supplier problems, from food items to car spare parts, due to delays.
Prolonged closure due to terrorist proxies will have equally dire consequences and people may also be at risk of being attacked if they try to cross the blockade.
It comes as Iran still maintains its tight grip on the Strait of Hormuz, blocking the vital 24-mile trade route with deadly naval mines.
Meanwhile, Trump is pushing for a quick end to the war with Iran because he is angry that the regime is “afraid” to admit that it is begging for talks.
The US president has told his aides he wants the conflict to end within weeks, as a tight deadline looms before final talks with China in mid-May.
They believe that the joint US-Israeli bombing attack is close to destroying its targets.
But Tehran is publicly rejecting peace, while Trump insists he is secretly striving for a deal.
More than 2,500 US Marines are closing in on the war zone as defiant mullahs continue to stoke global economic chaos by attacking their neighbors’ energy plants.
The Pentagon is moving the battle group with the flagship amphibious USS Somerset and landing ship USS Comstock 12,000 miles to the Gulf of Oman.
And Trump could still deploy up to 3,000 elite airborne troops as part of the growing military presence.
