/Agencia Reuters
The Iranian news agency Tasnim reported on Monday, June 1, that Tehran’s negotiating team is suspending the exchange of messages with the United States. Furthermore, the outlet suggested that Iran and the Resistance Front, which includes its Shia allies in Yemen, Lebanon, and Iraq, have established an agenda to completely block the Strait of Hormuz and activate other fronts, which would include the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
It should be recalled that Iran halted peace negotiations with the U.S. due to the Israeli attacks against Lebanon. However, diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, which has already lasted three months, would still continue.
Despite this scenario, Iran is analyzing options to activate other fronts, which would include intervening in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in order to “punish” Israel and its supporters. This maritime route connects the Red Sea (to the north) with the Gulf of Aden (to the south) in the Indian Ocean, separating the Horn of Africa (to the west) from the Arabian Peninsula (to the east).
If the Houthis, Iran’s allies in Yemen, open a new front in the conflict, one target would be the aforementioned navigation point. This would allow them to continue strangling maritime cargo transport and act as a checkpoint for traffic towards the Suez Canal.
“A violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts. The United States and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation,” stated Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araqchi, referring to Israeli operations in Lebanon.
The war, initiated by the United States and Israel on February 28, has left thousands dead, mainly in Iran and Lebanon. It has also caused global economic havoc by driving up energy prices since Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global supply route for oil and liquefied natural gas.
“Iranian officials and negotiators have emphasized the immediate cessation of the aggressive and brutal operations of the Zionist regime’s army in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as the need for the complete withdrawal of the regime from the occupied areas in Lebanon, and there will be no talks until Iran’s and the resistance’s positions on this matter are met,” Tasnim reported.
It should be recalled that the Red Sea crisis, which began in late 2023 following the blockade and attacks by Houthi militias in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, drastically altered global trade. This situation forced the world’s major shipping lines to divert hundreds of vessels from the traditional Suez Canal route to circumnavigate Africa via the Cape of Good Hope.
This lengthening of voyages caused an immediate increase in goods transit times, a shortage of vessel capacity, and a significant surge in maritime freight costs, which in turn generated disruptions in international supply chains and injected new inflationary pressures into the global economy.
Although the direct intervention of the Houthis in the Red Sea came to an end following the implementation of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in October 2025, latent effects of this conflict on the maritime transport industry still persist to this day.
In this regard, a simultaneous blockade of the Straits of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb would represent the worst possible scenario for global trade and energy security, as it would close the two most critical maritime arteries of the Middle East at the same time.
