US: Iran involved in Houthi attack on ships

According to US intelligence, Iran is deeply involved in planning Houthi rebel attacks on ships in the Red Sea. The drones and missiles used in the attacks were supplied by Iran, US National Security Council spokesman Adrian Watson told CNN yesterday (local time).

Watson was referring to recently released information from the Secret Service. In addition, Iran provided surveillance systems “critical to Houthi attacks.”

Watson continues to leave decisions on Iran operations to the Houthis. However, without the support of the Islamic Republic, the rebels in Yemen will find it difficult to effectively monitor merchant shipping routes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and launch attacks.

Tehran denies this

Iran has denied the accusation. Armed “resistance groups” against Israel have “their own ways” and act “based on their own decisions and capabilities,” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Mehr told the news agency.

Revolutionary Guards threaten to block Mediterranean Sea

According to a report by the Iranian news agency Tasnim, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards are now threatening to blockade the Mediterranean.

Tasnim quoted Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi as saying that the US and its allies should prepare to close the Mediterranean Sea, the Strait of Gibraltar and other waterways if crimes continue in the Gaza Strip. Iran has no direct access to the Mediterranean. According to Tasnim, Nakhti spoke of the “birth of new resistance forces” and linked this to the “closing” of waterways.