Iran Denies Responsibility In Alleged Houthi Attack In Red Sea

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has denied responsibility for a drone attack that was intercepted by the US Navy in the Red Sea on Wednesday.

According to the Pentagon, a US Navy warship shot down a drone early Wednesday morning that “originated from Yemen and was heading in the direction of the ship.”

Although the Pentagon did not specify who was behind the attack, the incident occurred after Iranian-backed Houthi forces in Yemen earlier this week vowed to target Israeli ships in the Red Sea.

As part of an interview with CBS on Wednesday regarding the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, Amir-Abdollahian said: "We did not want this crisis to escalate."

The terrorist group Hamas launched a surprise terror attack on Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,200 civilians and taking at least 240 hostages, after which Israel started a massive retaliation against Gaza.

The alleged Houthi attack comes after calls by Iran’s leader Ali Khamenei to ban shipment of oil and food to Israel. His call was repeated by his ultra-hardliner loyalists such as Hossein Shariatmadari, who runs the Kayhan Daily newspaper in Tehran.

The firebrand Hossein Shariatmadari called for blocking "maritime traffic in the Persian Gulf, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, the Oman Sea, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal,” in a Kayhan Daily editorial, which is funded by the Supreme Leader.

Prior to this, an Iranian ultraconservative lawmaker also claimed on Wednesday that Houthis had targeted Israeli ships after Ali Khamenei had made public statements against Israel.

Mahmoud Abbaszadeh-Meshkini, who sits on the Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, has criticized Amir-Abdollahian for what he called the government’s soft stance towards Israel.