Tehran has rejected US claims that it is “deeply involved” in Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, amid reports of another Israeli merchant vessel being attacked, Aljazeera reported.
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| A Houthi fighter stands on the cargo ship Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea, November 20, 2023. (Source: Reuters) |
On December 23, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported that Iran's Foreign Ministry rejected US accusations that Iran was involved in planning attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea by Houthi forces in Yemen.
According to Reuters news agency, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani made the statement, after Washington accused Tehran of being “deeply involved” in planning and assisting the Houthis to target ships moving in the Red Sea. Bagheri Kani affirmed that Bagheri Kani told Mehr: “The resistance (Houthis) have their own instruments of power and act according to their decisions and capabilities.” Iran supports the Houthis but officially denies arming the group, which seized the Yemeni capital Sanaa after overthrowing the government and now controls large swathes of the country.
“The fact that certain countries, such as the United States or Israel, have suffered strikes from the resistance movement should not call into question the reality of resistance in the region,” Mr. Bagheri Kani added.
The Houthis have previously claimed their attacks on ships linked to Israel and supporting the Palestinians under siege in the Gaza Strip have targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea with drones and missiles, forcing shippers to change course and take longer routes around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, instead of through Egypt's Suez Canal.
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