Iran Blames Red Sea Instability On US Support For Israel

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman pointed fingers at the United States, citing its support for Israel as the root cause of its Houthi milita's blockade of the Red Sea.

In a press briefing on Monday, Nasser Kanaani said that amid the war in Gaza, "warmongering policies" from Israel and “insufficient action” from the US to resolve it, has contributed to regional instability.

The spokesperson alleged that “the actions of Yemen's Houthis were in response to Zionist presence in the Red Sea.”

Iran's Houthis in Yemen began a blockade in the Red Sea region, instigated by the Supreme Leader in support of Hamas in Gaza in the wake of Israel's retaliation to the invasion of October 7.

The Houthis have since carried out dozens of attacks on international vessels. Initially aimed at Israel-linked ships to force the country into a ceasefire, it has expanded to US and UK-linked vessels in retaliation to their support of Israel's right to defend itself in the wake of the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7.

However, it has also affected ships not linked to any of the three targets and has caused massive diversions and price hikes to global shipping on the route responsible for around 12 percent of global trade.

In response, a coalition of more than 20 nations, led by the US, has formed to counter the Iran-backed blockade, aiming to safeguard vital trade routes responsible for a significant portion of global trade.

Kanaani urged the US to focus on addressing the core crisis in Gaza and to cease support for what he referred to as the "mass killing machine of the Israeli regime", still failing to acknowledge the fact that the Gaza war was triggered by Iran's proxy militia, Hamas, which killed 1,200 mostly civilians and kidnapped at least 250 more, in the single most deadly day for Jews since the Holocaust.

In the wake of the war, Iran's proxies in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq have also targeted Israel and US facilities in the region spurring a wider conflict beyond the confines of Gaza.