Iran issues warning to US amid retaliation against Tehran-backed militia

The attacks are part of a response to an attack on a base in Jordan that killed three US soldiers. They also fit into the broader context of Israel’s war against the Hamas terrorist group in the Gaza Strip that has heightened tensions in the Middle East and raised fears of regional conflict.

It is in this context that Yemen’s Houthi rebels have attacked ships in the Red Sea to show their support for the Palestinians and their contempt for Israel.

The most recent US and British attacks in Yemen hit six provinces controlled by Houthi rebels, including the capital Sanaa. The Houthis did not estimate the damage, but the United States said it targeted underground missile arsenals, launch sites and helicopters.

Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saari said, “These attacks will not deter the Yemeni forces and the nation from maintaining its support for the Palestinians in the face of the occupation and Zionist crimes.” “The attackers’ air attacks will not go unanswered,” he declared.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned the Houthis after the attacks that “they will face further consequences if they do not cease their illegal attacks on international ships and naval vessels.” That message was echoed by British Foreign Secretary David Cameron.

The Behshad and the Saviz are registered as commercial cargo ships with a Tehran-based company that has been approved by the US Treasury as a front for the state shipping lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

They have been hiding in the Red Sea off Yemen for years, suspected of serving as spy posts for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

In 2017, Saudi Arabia described Sawiz as a maritime base and weapons transshipment point for the Revolutionary Guard, manned by men in military uniforms. Images broadcast by Saudi-owned television channels showed the ship being armed with a shrouded machine gun on the ship’s deck.

In this Sunday video statement from Iran’s regular army, a narrator described the ships for the first time as “floating arsenals.” According to the narrator, Behshad helps an Iranian mission “counter piracy in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.” However, Iran is not publicly known to have participated in any recent operations against increasing Somali piracy in the region. In view of Houthi attacks.

Just before the new US airstrike campaign began, Behshad traveled south towards the Gulf of Aden. It is now parked in Djibouti, East Africa, off the coast of a Chinese military base in the country.

The statement ends with a warning accompanied by a montage of images of American warships and an American flag.

“Those who engage in terrorist activities against the Behshad or similar vessels endanger international shipping lanes, security, and bear global responsibility for potential future international risks,” the video said.

Savij, now in the Indian Ocean, which the United States alleges has been hit by recent Iranian drone strikes targeting shipping, has been attacked before.

In 2021, a possible limpet mine explosion left a hole in its hull, forcing Iran to bring the ship home. The attack, which is suspected to have been carried out by Israel, is part of a broader shadow war between Tehran and Tel Aviv following the collapse of the Iran nuclear deal.