Iran warns shipping lanes beyond Hormuz Strait at risk if US, Israel escalate attacks

A senior Iranian official has warned that key global shipping routes beyond the Strait of Hormuz could come under threat if the United States and Israel escalate military action.Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Mojtaba Khamenei, said even a single miscalculation could disrupt global energy supplies and international trade. Speaking to state-run Press TV, he said the “unified command of the resistance” considers the Bab al-Mandeb Strait to be “equally strategic as the Strait of Hormuz”.His remarks came after US President Donald Trump threatened to “unleash hell” on Iran if it does not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday.Velayati added that while the US has drawn lessons from Iran’s past, it “has yet to understand the geography of power”.The Bab al-Mandeb Strait, located off Yemen, links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea and is a key route for vessels heading toward the ...

• 06 Apr 2026