Iran is targeting the world at sea.
Ah, our friends we haven't made yet:
Iran is once again making a major effort to covertly use naval mines against its enemies. In this case the victims are everyone who uses the Suez Canal and sends ships anywhere near the Yemen coast. While these are Iranian mines, a proxy (Iran-backed Yemeni Shia rebels) takes credit for placing the mines in the water. Hundreds of these mines have been placed off the Yemen Red Sea and Arabian Sea coast in the last few years but the damage has been minor.
This is good practice for the Strait of Hormuz. But it is also useful practice for the Red Sea Plan B Gulf oil export route. If you wonder why Iran is eager to support the Houthis.
And recall that the Libyans mined the Red Sea during the Iran-Iraq War for the Iranians:
So don't neglect the threat that Iran could pose to Red Sea traffic. Warship, submarines, civilian ships, or aircraft could seed the Red Sea with mines and wreak havoc. Let's not even contemplate what Iran could do with a ship in the Suez Canal if it scuttles itself loaded with nasty surprises to hinder removal efforts--or even detonating the magazine of an old warship with enough of the crew on a suicide mission to set the bugger off inside the canal.
The recent Suez Canal accident may have given the Iranians more ideas.
