Iran has dismissed calls from the United States and the United Kingdom to halt its backing of Houthi rebel attacks on Israeli-linked vessels in the Red Sea, labeling the accusations as unwarranted interference. In response, the Iranian navy deployed the Alborz destroyer to the vital shipping lane, crossing the Bab-el-Mandeb strait and entering the Red Sea on Monday. During a meeting with Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, the secretary of Iran's supreme national security council (SNSC), praised the rebel fighters' "brave actions" against what was described as "Zionist aggression."
Tensions between the US and the Iranian-backed Houthis escalated when the US military reported sinking three Houthi vessels and killing 10 militants after a clash in the Red Sea. The Houthi ships had attacked a commercial vessel owned by the Maersk shipping company, marking the latest incident in a series of nearly 20 attacks prompting some shipping companies to abandon the Red Sea route.
The UK and the US, potentially joined by another European nation, are contemplating issuing a formal warning to the Houthis, threatening military strikes on installations along Yemen's Red Sea coast if the attacks on Israeli-linked commercial shipping persist.
The Houthis have asserted that the attacks, ongoing for over three weeks, will continue until Israel allows unrestricted humanitarian aid into Gaza. Yemeni Houthi militia leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi had previously warned of targeting American battleships in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab strait, and the Gulf of Aden in response to any attack on Yemen by Washington.
UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron conveyed Britain's view to his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, holding Tehran partly responsible for the attacks. The Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Nasser Kanaani, rejected the accusations, emphasizing Iran's support for Palestinian resistance movements.
While the Houthis receive support from Iran, their capacity to confront the US navy is limited. The militia controls northern Yemen, the strategic port of Hodeidah, and the capital Sana'a. However, the Saudi-backed and UN-recognized government of Yemen, based in the south, opposes the attacks on shipping.
In response to the situation, the UK's Defense Secretary, Grant Shapps, expressed the country's readiness to take military action to safeguard freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. Shapps emphasized the commitment to holding accountable those engaging in unlawful seizures and attacks, stating, "We won't hesitate to take further action to deter threats to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea." The UK's Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multinational US-led force aimed at protecting sea lanes, currently involves only British naval contributions.