Although Iran does not border the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, Yemen does, and Iran is closely allied with the Houthis, the Yemeni militant group that previously conducted dozens of strikes against Israel-linked vessels in the Red Sea in 2023 and 2024 in response to the war in Gaza.
No. I don’t see how you could think or justify the US being a proxy of Israel.
It may be the other way around, however one of the two countries is clearly stronger. One of the two countries could pull out of the war by just leaving, if they really wanted to.