Iran plans security belt stretching from Strait of Hormuz to Red Sea

Esmail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has announced plans to establish a new “security belt” extending from the Strait of Hormuz to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off the coast of Yemen, and from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea, Reuters reports, citing Iranian state media.

In outlining the proposed security zone, Qaani referred to the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” a network of groups allied with Iran.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement stated on June 7 that it would prohibit Israel-linked vessels from transiting the Red Sea following Israel’s renewed military strikes on Iran, raising fresh concerns over global shipping routes and energy supplies.