Iran ‘Deeply Involved’ in Attacks on Shipping in Red Sea: White House

INTERNATIONAL WATERS RED SEA, YEMEN - NOVEMBER 20: This handout screen grab captured from a video shows Yemen's Houthi fighters' takeover of the Galaxy Leader Cargo in the Red Sea coast off Hudaydah, on Nov. 20, 2023 in the Red Sea, Yemen. (Photo by Houthi Movement via Getty Images)

Iran is providing financing, intelligence, and operational support to Houthi militants engaged in attacks on international commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the White House has acknowledged.

Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have aligned themselves with Hamas in Gaza, are impeding international commerce “with the direct support and facilitation of Iran,” according to White House National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson.

“We know that Iran was deeply involved in planning the operations against commercial vessels in the Red Sea,” Ms. Watson said in a statement obtained by The Epoch Times.

“Iranian support throughout the Gaza crisis has enabled the Houthis to launch attacks against Israel and maritime targets, though Iran has often deferred operational decision-making authority to the Houthis.”

Houthi Attacks Creating Global Crisis

Houthi forces in Yemen have launched dozens of drone and missile attacks in the Red Sea since the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack in Israel.

The group has also attempted to hijack several commercial vessels, beginning with the Galaxy Leader transport vessel in November.

Houthi leadership shared a viral video that showed members of the group wearing black masks and wielding semi-automatic rifles as they descended on the ship via helicopter and stormed the deck.

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Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdul-Salam said in an online statement that the Israelis only understand “the language of force” and vowed to conduct more attacks in international waters.

Ms. Watson said “Iranian support to these Houthi operations remains critical,” and that the regime in Tehran is providing “tactical intelligence” to allow the Houthis to precisely target both commercial and military vessels in the region.

“The Houthis are replicating Iran’s longstanding strategy to seize civilian vessels in maritime choke points,” she added, “as well as the specific tactics Iran has used, to include airlifting hijackers onto the vessel from helicopters with small boats providing security in their seizure of the Galaxy Leader in November.”

The continued Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have begun to create a global shipping crisis, as several of the world’s major shipping outfits are rerouting cargo vessels, taking extra weeks to travel around the southern tip of Africa instead of risking the journey to the Suez Canal.

Every year, about 19,000 ships travel through the canal, to which the Red Sea is the sole southern entry. Should current detours remain in effect, it is possible that Egypt, which controls the canal, will lose out on more than a billion dollars in passage fees. Likewise, global markets could feel the pressure of rising prices as shipping becomes backlogged.

US Urges ‘Collective Action’ Against Iran-Backed Threat

U.S. and allied forces in the region have shot down numerous drones and missiles fired from Yemen since Oct. 7.

Ms. Watson said that the unmanned systems and missiles appear to be the same type as those previously delivered from Iran to the Houthis.

“Since October, the Houthis have launched multiple Iranian medium-range ballistic missiles from Yemen towards Israel,” Ms. Watson said. “The group on 27 November also launched Iranian-designed ballistic missiles that impacted near a U.S. Destroyer.”

To address the threat, the Biden administration announced Operation Prosperity Guardian earlier this week, a multinational security effort aimed at providing protection to vessels traversing the region. The primary goal of the operation is to bring security, stability, and freedom of navigation to the Red Sea.

Ms. Watson said the crisis demanded a firm international response, and that “collective action” would be taken to stave off the threat posed by the Iranian-backed Houthis.

“The United States is building an international coalition with our allies and partners to respond to Houthi aggression in the Red Sea and support the safety of international commerce and maritime security and de-escalation across the region,” Ms. Watson said.

“These attacks on commercial shipping in international waters by the Houthis are a flagrant violation of international law and represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security.”

More than 20 countries have signed on to join a U.S.-led naval coalition, though it remains unclear at this time if the United States will call for direct military action against either the Houthis or Iran.

Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi said in a televised speech that his forces would increase attacks on the U.S. military, should it launch an assault on the Houthis in Yemen.

“We will not stand idly by if the Americans are tempted to escalate further and commit foolishness by targeting our country or waging war against it,” he said.

“Any American targeting of our country will be targeted by us, and we will make American battleships, interests, and navigation a target for our missiles, drones, and military operations.”

A spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry has denied involvement in the attacks, saying that the Houthis act “independently and spontaneously based on their interests and that of their people.”