Not only is the situation heating up in the Red Sea region, but there is also a high probability of a major war in the Mediterranean. After Iran threatened to close the Strait of Gibraltar, Israeli forces killed an Iranian commander, which is likely to lead directly to the end of US and European shipping. So why did Iran close the Strait of Gibraltar, and why did it say that the Israeli military's actions were likely to lead to the end of US and European shipping?
Now the situation in the Middle East is becoming more and more chaotic. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen, with more than 20,000 Palestinians killed in the conflict. At the same time, the situation in the Red Sea region is highly tense. The result of Israel's atrocities in the Gaza Strip has angered Yemen's Houthi rebels, who have responded with their humanity by building a counterattack capability directly in the Red Sea and banning cargo ships from entering Israel. Although the Houthis claim that this is for the sake of Palestinian justice, how can the United States, which blindly favors Israel, sit idly by? Without saying a word, the U.S. military directly attacked the Houthi drones in the Red Sea, and even threatened to establish a "Red Sea escort alliance" composed of more than 20 coalition forces, hoping to deter the Houthis and show their support for Israel.
However, it is clear to anyone with a discerning eye that the United States is simply trying to maintain the return of shipping in the Red Sea to normal? The main purpose of this move by the United States is likely to be to take the opportunity to take control of the Red Sea into its own hands in order to inject more American forces into the Middle East. How can the Middle Eastern countries, which have always been bullied and oppressed by the US military, be patient with US ambitions? Among them, Iran reacted the strongest. A few days ago, Iranian officials directly announced a bombshell news, saying that if the United States and Israel dare to continue military operations in Gaza, Israel and the United States will soon wait for the closure of the Mediterranean, the Strait of Gibraltar and other waterways. At the same time, the Iranian side also said that the attack on Gibraltar is likely to be another escalation after the Houthi attack.
Although it is not clear how Iran will block the Strait of Gibraltar thousands of miles away, since Iran has said it, it must be able to do it. After all, Iran has a large number of armed forces, and if the armed forces of southern Lebanon and Syria were to enter the Mediterranean, it would be enough to disrupt the shipping artery, which accounts for one-fifth of the world's maritime trade. So why does Iran want to close the Strait of Gibraltar? In fact, solidarity with Palestine is only one aspect, and the most important thing is that Iran has often been sanctioned and threatened by the United States in the past few decades, so that the anti-American voice in Iran has risen sharply, not to mention that Iran, as a military power in the Middle East, is not afraid to oppose the United States, let alone take Israel in its eyes.
However, it is worth mentioning that just after Iran announced that it would close the Strait of Gibraltar, an Israeli move is likely to directly ignite Iran's anger. On December 25, local time, Israel launched an airstrike on the area near Damascus, the capital of Syria, but what people did not expect was that the Israeli army killed the commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who served as a senior military adviser in Syria. The Israeli army's move was obviously aimed at Iran's gun, and Iran was directly ignited in anger after the incident. Iranian President Raisi has put aside his harsh words, vowing to make Israel "pay for it", and Iran's foreign minister also said that Israel "is facing a countdown". Although Iran has not said that it will take any measures, it is likely that Iran's next step will be to block the Strait of Gibraltar and make Israel pay a heavy price.
If this is the case, once the Strait of Gibraltar is closed, then it is likely that Israel will not pay the greatest losses, and it will be the United States and European countries that will face even greater losses. As we said above, the Strait of Gibraltar is a major sea route, and as many as 100,000 ships pass through it every year. It also has a name, that is, "the lifeline of the West", which is the shipping artery of the United States and European countries in and out of the Mediterranean, which has greatly promoted the economic development of the United States, Europe and the world. With the Suez Canal blocked, the Strait of Gibraltar is vital to the shipping of the United States and Europe, and if this passage is attacked or closed by Iran, it will inevitably cause heavy losses to the economies of the United States and Europe, and the Sixth Fleet of the United States Navy and the navies of NATO countries will not be able to pass through here, and it will be the end of the world for the United States and Europe.
In the context of the Red Sea crisis has not been resolved, and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has not yet ended, the Mediterranean Sea is now full of crises, and it is very likely that a big war will break out in the Mediterranean, and Iran is the one that opens up the second front in the Middle East, and the armed forces such as Lebanon, Syria and Yemen's Houthis are likely to be involved.