New Delhi, July 14 -- Yemen's threat to close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait has increased the global concerns over energy supplies and maritime trade at a time when another critical transit route in the Middle East, the Strait of Hormuz, is already under stress due to the war in the West Asia.

The warning came after Mohammed al-Farah, a member of the political bureau of Yemen's Ansarullah movement, said the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the Strait of Hormuz could be closed "in an operational alliance" if Saudi Arabia continued targeting Yemen's critical infrastructure.

"If the current situation aggravates, the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the Strait of Hormuz will be closed in an operational alliance. Oil prices would then skyrocket to $200 a barrel ...