TLDR. The threat regarding the Bab al-Mandab Strait is based on a support for the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen, Iran backing and providing the Houthis with advanced weaponry like anti-ship ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Note: The Trump administration states that this is fake, however it is getting plenty of coverage from Middle Eastern news outlets.
Statement issued by the General Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran:
The noble Iranian people must know that, by the blessing of the jihad of their sons and their historic presence on the battlefield, the enemy has been begging for over a month to halt the fires of Iran and the fierce resistance. However, the country’s officials, due to a decision made from the outset mandating the continuation of the war until the objectives are achieved—including driving the enemy to regret and despair and removing the long-term threat from the country—have rejected all such requests, and the war has continued until this day, which marks the fortieth day. Moreover, Iran has rejected several deadlines proposed by the President of the United States up to this point and continues to affirm that it attaches no importance to any type of deadline set by the enemy.
Today, we herald to the great Iranian people that most of the war’s objectives have been nearly achieved, and that your brave sons have driven the enemy into a historic paralysis and permanent defeat. Iran’s historic decision, backed by the full consensus of the people, is to continue this battle as long as necessary, until its great achievements are solidified and new security and political equations are imposed in the region based on the recognition of Iran’s power and sovereignty and that of the Resistance Axis.
In this context, and in accordance with the directives of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, His Eminence Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei (may God protect him), with the approval of the Supreme National Security Council, taking into account Iran’s and the Resistance Axis’s superiority on the battlefield, the enemy’s inability to carry out its threats despite all its claims, and its official acceptance of all the legitimate demands of the Iranian people, it has been decided to hold negotiations in Islamabad to finalize the details, with the stipulation that within a maximum period of 15 days, Iran’s victory in the field is also politically solidified through the negotiations.
In this framework, Iran, while rejecting all proposals put forward by the enemy, has prepared a 10-point plan and submitted it to the American side via Pakistan, emphasizing key points, including: organized passage through the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with the Iranian Armed Forces, which would grant Iran a unique economic and geopolitical position; the necessity of ending the war against all components of the Resistance Axis, meaning a historic defeat for the aggression of the Israeli entity; the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from all their bases and deployment sites in the region; the establishment of a protocol for safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz that ensures Iran’s control in accordance with the agreement; full payment of compensation to Iran according to the assessments; lifting all primary and secondary sanctions and decisions of the Governing Boards and the Security Council; the release of all frozen Iranian funds and assets abroad; and finally, enshrining all these points in a binding resolution issued by the Security Council. It is worth noting that the adoption of this resolution will transform these understandings into binding international law and constitute a significant diplomatic victory for the Iranian people.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan has informed Iran that the American side, despite its apparent threats, has accepted these principles as the basis for negotiations and has submitted to the will of the Iranian people. Accordingly, it has been decided at the highest levels that Iran will enter into negotiations with the American side in Islamabad for a period of two weeks, and solely on the basis of these principles. It is emphasized that this does not mean the end of the war, as Iran will not accept its conclusion until the details of these principles are completed in the final negotiations.
These negotiations, with complete lack of trust in the American side, will begin on Friday, 21 Farvardin, in Islamabad, and Iran has allocated two weeks for them, extendable by agreement of both parties. During this period, it is essential to maintain complete national unity and to continue the victory celebrations with full force. These negotiations are national negotiations and a continuation of the battlefield, and it is necessary for the entire people, elites, and political currents to trust this process, which is managed under the supervision of the Leader of the Revolution and the highest levels of the system, to support it, and to strictly avoid any statements that incite division.
If the enemy’s surrender on the battlefield is transformed into a decisive political achievement in the negotiations, we will celebrate this great historic victory together; otherwise, we will continue the fight side by side until all the demands of the Iranian people are fulfilled. Our hands are on the trigger, and any minor mistake by the enemy will be met with a decisive and forceful response.
General Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council
19 Farvardin 1405
Nice mix of links, always up for more independent global perspectives.
I’m just describing what was written in the article. But yeah, I get your point, there is always some level of bias in these articles.