The Sea Challenge: Iran's Options Of Using Houthis And Strait Of Hormuz After US Strikes (Photo on X@jacksonhink)
One of the major escalations amid the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, the US directly entered the war, attacking key nuclear facilities in Iran, Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan, aligning itself militarily with Israel.
Several countries, including Russia and China, had warned the US against any miliary intervention in Iran, threatening it could further push the already volatile region into chaos.
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The response of Iran and its allies such as the Houthis and Hizballah, who have threatened to rally behind Iran if the US is involved in the conflict, is to be seen as per the after-effects of the recent US attack. The Houthis have already announced they would attack US ships in the Red Sea. The Group has already created headache for the US by targeting its vessels causing significant damages for its support of Israel amid the ongoing genocidal offensive in Gaza.
However, a Hizballah spokesperson said that the group did not have immediate plans to retaliate against Israel and the United States. Iran is a strong country capable of defending itself. “Logic dictates that it can confront America and Israel,” Newsweek quoted a Hezbollah spokesperson. The group reportedly said it “remains committed to all matters agreed upon since the ceasefire.”
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Will Ian Block Strait of Hormuz After US Attack?
Notably, the US attack has also fueled concerns about the closure of the world’s most critical oil route, the Strait of Hormuz, an ocean pathway through which around 20% of the world’s daily oil consumption passes. Iran has threatened to close the Strait multiple times, especially if the US attacks.
The closure of the Strait could hit oil supply, the economies and even the daily life of several oil-dependent countries such as India and China. The Strait lies between Oman and Iran, serving as the primary export route for Gulf producers such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, and Kuwait. It has never been closed.
For years, Iran has used the Strait as its shield by threatening to close it against several adversaries the country faced in the past. In 2011, Iran threatened to close the Strait in response to European and American sanctions against its oil exports. But the country did not close the Strait after the US, UK and France conducted a show of power suggesting military action in case of the closure.
