Aden (South24 Center)

Major General Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, President of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), warned on Wednesday (June 3) of growing Iranian threats to strategic maritime corridors, calling for a broader regional and international approach to protect the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

In a statement on X, Al-Zubaidi said Iran had, for the first time, referred to Bab al-Mandab as a potential front in the ongoing regional escalation. He described the strait, located at the southern entrance of the Red Sea, as the most vulnerable point in the regional maritime security system.

Al-Zubaidi added that recent Iranian threats, alongside the continuing crisis around the Strait of Hormuz and the latest escalation in the Gulf, show that the security of maritime corridors in the region is interconnected and cannot be addressed separately.

He warned that securing one end of the strategic maritime corridors while leaving the other exposed would give Iran and its Houthi ally greater leverage over international trade and energy supplies. He called for a security approach that simultaneously covers the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab, and the Strait of Hormuz.

The STC President said Southern forces still maintain a presence on the ground, military capabilities, and public support in South Yemen, reaffirming their readiness to contribute to protecting these vital sea lanes.

He also said communication was ongoing with regional and Western partners to discuss involving South Yemen in regional security arrangements.

Al-Zubaidi’s remarks come amid renewed escalation between Iran and the United States and its allies in the Gulf.

The Iranian threat to Bab al-Mandab has been raised publicly in recent weeks. In April, Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, warned that the “Resistance Front” views Bab al-Mandab in the same way it views the Strait of Hormuz.

Earlier, IRGC-linked Tasnim cited an unnamed military source as saying that Iran could open a new front in Bab al-Mandab if attacks were carried out against Iranian territory or islands.

On Wednesday, the escalation widened after US strikes targeted Iranian assets, including an Iranian vessel and infrastructure on Qeshm Island.

Iranian official and semi-official media outlets said the IRGC carried out retaliatory missile and drone strikes against US military targets in the region, including the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and a US air base in Kuwait.

Kuwait, however, accused Iran of launching attacks that hit Kuwait International Airport, killing one person and injuring dozens.

Kuwaiti authorities said several missiles and drones were detected and intercepted, while debris and strikes caused damage to civilian and vital facilities. Bahrain also reported attacks targeting areas linked to US military facilities.

Iran denied responsibility for the strike that hit Kuwait airport, with the IRGC claiming that the damage there was caused by a malfunctioning US Patriot interceptor, not an Iranian missile.

Nevertheless, Tehran defended its broader retaliatory strikes as legitimate self-defense, saying they targeted sites used by the United States to launch attacks against Iran.

The latest developments coincided with faltering indirect talks between Tehran and Washington, as Iranian officials linked any further negotiations to the cessation of military operations on other fronts, including Lebanon and Gaza.

The Bab al-Mandab Strait is one of the world’s most critical maritime corridors, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. A significant share of global trade and energy shipments passes through it.

Since late 2023, the Houthis have carried out dozens of attacks on commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, prompting the United States and its partners to conduct military operations to protect international navigation in the region.

Al-Zubaidi’s warnings gain added significance against the backdrop of developments in South Yemen over the past months.

Since December 2025, South Yemen’s governorates entered a new phase with the launch of Operation “Promising Future,” during which Southern forces extended their control over vast areas of Wadi Hadramout following the expulsion of First Military District forces.

At the time, the operation marked a significant shift in the balance of power in the Southern governorates.

However, this trajectory suffered a setback in early January 2026, when Southern forces withdrew from Wadi Hadramout and Al-Mahra following Saudi military interventions that included airstrikes and the deployment of local forces loyal to Riyadh.