Iranian authorities The U.S. warned on Sunday about possible targeting of two cargo ships in the Middle East suspected of being spy ships for the country.
The warning comes after US and UK forces launched an airstrike against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The Associated Press reported that Iran’s statement referred to the ships Behshad and Saviz, both commercial cargo ships registered with a Tehran-based company that the U.S. Treasury Department has identified as official shipping lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran. was approved as a front. .
The statement also reflects Tehran’s growing uneasiness over the US offensive in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, which has targeted militias backed by the Islamic Republic.
Iran vows ‘decisive response’ to any US attack: ‘No threat will be left unanswered’
This October 1, 2020, Planet Labs Inc. A satellite image shows the Iranian cargo ship MV Saviz in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen. An Iranian cargo ship, believed to be a base for the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard that has been anchored for years in the Red Sea off Yemen, was attacked, Iranian state television acknowledged Wednesday, April 7, 2021. (Planet Labs Inc. via AP)
The attacks, ordered by President Biden, were carried out in response to the killing of three American soldiers and the wounding of dozens of others in Jordan. Attacks on US troops and installations Middle East The war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip has also escalated since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
The US continues to claim that it does not want war in the Middle East and is to ensure that the war between Hamas and Israel does not spread throughout the region.
According to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, U.S. and coalition forces conducted more than two dozen strikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on Saturday, targeting 13 sites including deep-buried storage facilities, missile systems, Launchers, air defense systems and radars were included.
US, coalition forces have launched multiple strikes against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen
A missile has been fired from a warplane during the operation of the US-led coalition against Yemen’s Houthi rebels. (US Central Command)
Although the Houthis issued a statement after the attacks, they did not estimate the damage.
“These attacks will not discourage the Yemeni forces and nation from continuing to support the Palestinians in the face of Israeli occupation and crimes,” said Houthi army spokesman Brig. General Yahya Sari said. “Aggressor airstrikes will not go unanswered.”
Behshad and Saviz are suspected of being spy ships for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, as both ships have been flying in the Red Sea near Yemen for years.
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Iranian missiles are displayed in a park on January 20, 2024 in Tehran, Iran. Iran has been a key player in several overlapping regional conflicts, with recent airstrikes in Iraq, Syria, and Pakistan, and support for Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthi movement in Yemen. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
Saudi Arabia described Saviz in 2017 as a maritime base and weapons transfer point for the Revolutionary Guards. The plane was manned by a male crew in military fatigues, and Saudi-owned television stations showed the plane with what appeared to be a machine covered by the ship’s deck.
Iran’s regular military issued a statement in a video on Sunday, in which, according to the Associated Press, a narrator described the two vessels as “floating weapons.”
Ravi also reportedly described Behshad as an aid to combating piracy in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, “although it is not known whether Iran has recently launched any campaign against Somali piracy in the region.” Part has been, at least publicly.
The US shot down a Houthi anti-aircraft missile inside Yemen, official
Yemeni Coast Guard ships affiliated with the Houthi group patrol the sea on January 4, 2024. Their presence has disrupted international shipping. (AFP via Getty Images)
Before the US launched its offensive, Behshad moved south into the Gulf of Aden, and is now located near the Chinese military base in Djibouti in East Africa.
The video statement ends with images of US warships, an American flag and a warning.
“Those who engage in terrorist activities against Behshad, or similar vessels, endanger international sea lanes, security and bear global responsibility for potential future international threats,” the video said. Is.
US Navy Central Command did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s inquiries on the matter.
Saviz is reportedly close to the location in the Indian Ocean where the US claims Iranian drone strikes have targeted ships.
The same ship, in 2021, suffered a hole in its hull from a possible mine explosion suspected to have been carried out by Israel. The ship eventually returned to its port.