Iran denies helping Houthis plan attacks on Israel-linked ships

Iran on Saturday denied U.S. accusations that it was involved in planning attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea with Yemen's Tehran-aligned Houthi movement, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani's repeated denials came after the White House said Tehran was "deeply involved" in planning the operations and that its intelligence was critical to enabling the Houthis to target ships.

"The resistance (Houthis) has its own tools of power and acts according to its decisions and capabilities," Bagheri Kani told Mehr.

The Houthis seized Yemen's capital, Sanaa, after ousting the government and now control large swaths of the country.

Claiming their attacks are aimed at Israel-linked ships and in support of Palestinians under siege by Israel in Gaza, the Houthis have targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea with drones and missiles, forcing shipping companies to take longer routes around the southern tip of Africa.

In the latest development, the United States shot down four drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen headed toward a U.S. destroyer in the southern Red Sea on Saturday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

"These attacks represent the 14th and 15th attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi militants since Oct. 17," CENTCOM said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

The U.S. Naval Forces Central Command responded to distress calls from two ships under attack, CENTCOM said.

A Norwegian-flagged, -owned and -operated oil and chemical tanker reported the near miss of a Houthi drone attack, and a Gabon-owned, Indian-flagged crude oil tanker reported being hit by a one-way attack, the post said.

India later clarified that the oil tanker was Gabon-flagged instead of Indian-flagged and that the vessel had received certification from the Indian Register of Shipping.

The surge in tensions has prompted major shipping and oil companies to suspend transit through the Red Sea, a critical maritime trade route, spurring concerns about potential global economic repercussions.

During his latest tour to the Middle East, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin declared on Tuesday in Bahrain that the United States is assembling a new multinational coalition to shield vessels navigating the Red Sea.

Austin said Britain, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain will participate in the joint U.S. mission. The collective efforts will involve collaborative patrols in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

On Friday, Spain's Socialist government still had not decided whether to participate in the coalition.

Analysts have argued that the heightened military presence in the Red Sea may stoke active hostilities, exacerbating concerns about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict spilling over into the region.

Salam Al-Asbahi, a retired general of the Yemeni government forces, said, "The presence of U.S. warships alongside Israeli interests raises the possibility of unintended encounters with Houthi forces,”according to Xinhua.

He also said Iran's support for both Houthis and Palestinian groups could potentially complicate the regional dynamics.

(With input from agencies)

(Cover: Yemeni coastguard members loyal to the internationally recognized government ride in a patrol boat cruising in the Red Sea off the government-held town of Mokha in the western Taiz province, close to the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, December 12, 2023. /CFP)