Iran Tells Houthis to Prepare Bab el-Mandeb Closure if U.S. Strikes Its Power Plants

Iran has instructed Yemen's Houthi movement to stand ready to close the Bab el-Mandeb strait if the United States strikes Iranian power infrastructure. The directive was discussed within Iran's leadership and conveyed to the Houthis, three sources told Reuters.

The United States launched a second wave of strikes on Wednesday targeting coastal defense systems, cruise missile storage and launch facilities on Greater Tunb Island and a site on Hengam Island.

U.S. Central Command said the operation began at 6 a.m. ET and lasted about 90 minutes. President Donald Trump directed the strikes to hold Iran accountable for threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend. Shipping traffic through the waterway has fallen sharply since the closure. Before the escalation, nearly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed through the strait.

President Trump said on Tuesday that energy targets would be struck last. On Wednesday he added that Iranian officials "better behave" and that U.S. officials had urged Tehran to resume talks. Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said at least 30 civilians had been killed in recent U.S.

Strikes on southern Iran. The United States has accused Iran of attacking seven commercial ships in the past week, leaving nearly a dozen crew members dead, injured or missing. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed attacks on U.S.

Assets. Brent crude closed at a one-month high of $84.95 a barrel on Wednesday. OilPrice.com reported that the Houthis have positioned stockpiles of drones and advanced missiles near the Red Sea gateway and are awaiting definitive orders to begin targeting maritime traffic.