Iran asks Yemen's Houthis to close Bab el-Mandeb if U.S. attacks power plants -- media

TEHRAN, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran has requested Yemen's Houthis to remain ready for the closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in case the United States attacks Iranian power plants, Reuters reported on Thursday. Reuters cited three sources, two senior Iranians and a regional source familiar with the matter, as saying that the idea had been discussed within Iran's leadership, and conveyed to the Houthi group.