Iran Protests US Naval Coalition in Red Sea Amid Ongoing Houthi Attacks
There have been at least three instances of attacks against commercial shipping vessels sailing off the coast of Yemen and Oman since Wednesday. In response to the surge of maritime assaults by Yemen-based Houthis, US officials have intensified calls for a stronger multinational naval force in the region, a move Iran has denounced.
US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking warned the Houthi leadership on Thursday that further aggression would not be tolerated. He said the Biden Administration was seeking the “broadest possible” coalition to safeguard ships in the Gulf of Aden, Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the Red Sea.
Two US intelligence officials familiar with the situation reported that the Iran-aligned Houthis fired two missiles at a commercial tanker near the strait on Wednesday and later directed a drone toward the USS Mason, a US warship in the region.
The Marshall Islands-flagged Ardmore Encounter, transporting Indian-manufactured jet fuel northward toward the Suez Canal, came under fire from hostile gunmen on a speedboat approximately 102 kilometers (about 55 nautical miles) off the coast of Hodeida.
Give the gift of hope
We practice what we preach:
accurate, fearless journalism. But we can't do it alone.
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
Join us.
Support The Media Line. Save democracy.
British maritime security company Ambrey initially reported that an entity claiming to be the Yemeni Navy demanded the ship alter its course prior to the gunmen’s arrival. However, a nearby warship advised the Ardmore Encounter to maintain its path.
After the hostile boat approached, the gunmen on board opened fire after the chemical tanker’s private armed security team (PAST) displayed arms.
“The PAST repelled the attack by returning fire. The speedboat further exchanged fire and disengaged,” Ambrey said.
The owner and operator of the tanker, Ardmore Shipping Corporation, released a statement after the incident, saying: “No one boarded the vessel, and all crew members are safe and accounted for. The vessel remains fully operational with no loss of cargo or damage on board.”
On Thursday, the Maersk Gibraltar, a Hong Kong-flagged container ship traveling from Salalah, Oman, to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was fired upon with a missile originating in Houthi territory.
Like Wednesday’s incident, the Gibraltar was hailed over the radio by the “Yemeni Navy” to dock in Yemen before being attacked.
The Houthis have not yet confirmed or denied the reports but have maintained that they will continue to attack ships with relations to Israel if the war in Gaza is not ended. Iran, the Houthis’ primary backer, insisted on Thursday that any US attempt to increase involvement in the region would not be tolerated.
Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani told the Iranian Student News Agency, a state-owned media apparatus, that any attempt by the US to establish an international naval coalition “will be faced with extraordinary problems.”
