Iraqi faction threatens to seal off Aqaba as Trump deadline expires
Shafaq News- Baghdad
The secretary-general of Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, Abu Alaa al-Walai, threatened on Tuesday to block Jordan's Aqaba port in coordination with Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and Yemen’s Houthis if the conflict widens further.
Al-Walai stated on X that the Strait of Hormuz was now "almost completely closed and under full Iranian control, with international acknowledgment of this reality," while the Bab al-Mandeb Strait stood "on the threshold of a decisive moment," effectively under Houthi control pending battlefield developments.
On Aqaba, al-Walai said the port was "within reach of joint operations" between the Iran-aligned Iraqi Islamic Resistance (IRI), the IRGC, and the Houthis, who "possess the comfortable capability to close it whenever necessary, which could lead to a comprehensive naval blockade on the enemy."
The threats came as Trump's deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz approached its 3:00 a.m. expiry. Pakistan asked Trump to extend the deadline by two weeks shortly before it expired; Trump said he was considering the request without committing to either an extension or a strike.
