Authorities in Tehran on Saturday denied US allegations that Iran was involved in orchestrating and supporting recent attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on merchant ships in the Red Sea.
“The resistance (armed groups fighting against Israel – n. ed.) has its own forces and acts according to its own decisions and capabilities,” said the deputy Iranian foreign minister, Ali Bagheri, for the local Mehr news agency.
According to Mehr, the Iranian diplomat was reacting to “Western claims” that Iran is informing the Yemeni Houthi rebels about the “positioning of American ships”.
On Friday, the US government accused Iran of being “deeply involved in the planning of recent attacks by the Houthi rebels”, providing them with sophisticated military equipment and intelligence.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said the United States had already asked Iran to advise Yemeni rebels not to act against American and Israeli interests in the region.
“We made it clear to the Americans that these groups acted according to their interests (…),” the minister said at a conference organized on Saturday to support the Palestinians. “We did not order them and we will not order to stop the attacks,” he continued.
Claiming to be acting in support of Hamas in its war against Israel, Iran-backed Yemeni rebels have claimed responsibility for several attacks in recent weeks against merchant ships they say have ties to Israel.
A drone struck a commercial ship in the Indian Ocean on Saturday, causing damage but no injuries, according to two shipping agencies, one of which said the vessel was linked to Israel. Responsibility for this attack was not immediately determined.
According to the Pentagon, the Houthi rebels, who control entire areas of Yemeni territory, including the capital Sanaa, launched more than a hundred drone and missile attacks, which targeted ten commercial ships, involving more than 35 countries.
Also read: Two major shipping companies abandon Red Sea transit for fear of Houthi rebels
Editor: Adrian Dumitru
