Apparently the Iranians are looking to close Bab-el-Mandeb with the help of local Houthi. A couple of days ago a sailing ship experienced an attempted hijacking just north of there which was unsuccessful. The route from Strait of Hormuz to Bab-el-Mandeb is already subject to piracy within the Gulf Of Aden and all ships on the route carry LRAD and armed guards to prevent hostile boarding. If Bab-el-Mandab is closed as retribution for the US blockade of Iranian ports, that will damage trade immeasurably as it will cut off the Red Sea and Suez completely at the southern end. Bab-el-Mandeb is just 20 miles wide and has Yemen to one side and Eritrea and Djibouti on the other side.
There are reports via UKMTO of incidents within the Gulf of Oman area now too, one such involved a bulk carrier south of Rass Al Hadd, two unidentified projectiles hit the ship and caused a fire on April 7, 2026.
UKMTO record all shipping incidents worldwide, their list for the ME area is growing
https://www.ukmto.org/recent-incidents