Iran Denies Involvement In Attacks On Red Sea Vessels

Iran has denied involvement in the recent attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, while its proxy, the Houthi rebels, claimed responsibility.

The Houthis are one of several Iran-backed militant groups in the Middle East. They have been effectively in a state of war with Saudi Arabia since 2015 and have claimed support for Palestinians since the Hamas terror attack on Israel on October 7.

The British government has attributed the drone and missile attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea to Iran, but Nasser Kanaani, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday "As we have clearly stated before, resistance groups are not taking orders from Tehran to confront the war crimes and genocide committed by Israel."

The United States, on the other hand, has also placed blame on Iran for a series of attacks in Middle Eastern waters by Houthis. Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, asserted in a Monday briefing with reporters that there is "every reason to believe that the attacks, while launched by the Houthis in Yemen, are fully enabled by Iran."

Recently, the Houthis confirmed launching drone and missile attacks on what they claimed were two Israeli vessels, Unity Explorer and Number 9. The attacks, according to the Houthis, were carried out "in response to the Yemeni people's demand and Muslim states' calls to stand with the Palestinian people."