Iran Asks Houthis to Close Red Sea Route if US Attacks Power Grid

Iran has asked Yemen's Houthi group to prepare to shut down the Red Sea oil pipeline if the United States attacks Iran's power infrastructure, three sources told Reuters on Thursday, posing a powerful new threat to global energy supplies.

"The idea has been discussed within the leadership of the State of the Mullahs, and the message has been conveyed to Iran's Houthi allies," said two senior Iranian sources and one regional source familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Al Arabiya and Reuters reported (17/7).

The sources said the Houthi group had been informed recently of Tehran's request, which has not been reported previously.

However, they did not provide further details on how it was delivered, or whether it was after US President Donald Trump's threat to attack Iran's electrical infrastructure on Tuesday.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry and the Houthi group's spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

The fragile truce agreed in June was on the verge of collapse after the United States launched several attacks in recent days, in an effort to limit Iran's ability to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

President Trump also warned that he could expand the attack to target power plants and bridges unless Tehran returned to the negotiating table.