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.
Is that still the case? AFAIK a lot of shipping companies avoid it since 2023. And that’s also an important point, unlike the Strait of Hormuz the Bab-el-Mandeb can be avoided at the cost of longer shipping times.