US says Iran ‘deeply involved’ in Houthi Red Sea shipping attacks

Attackers seized the tanker Central Park off the coast of Aden, Yemen, in late November. Photo / Zodiac Maritime via AP

The US has said Iran has been “deeply involved” in planning Houthi attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea and warned Tehran of a possible response amid the increased threat to shipping through a sea lane critical to global trade.

Citing declassified intelligence information, the White House said the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen rely on “Iranian-provided monitoring systems” to launch attacks on commercial ships.

“We know that Iran was deeply involved in planning the operations against commercial vessels in the Red Sea,” US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said on Friday.

“Iranian-provided tactical intelligence has been critical in enabling Houthi targeting of maritime vessels since the group commenced attacks in November.”

The Biden administration also said it was considering additional actions in response to the Houthi’s attacks, which have raised fears that the Israel-Hamas war could spread to other Middle East countries and draw in the US.

US officials have said they have not ruled out striking Houthi targets in response to the attacks, which began in November, although the White House’s National Security Council spokesman John Kirby warned this week that the US would not “telegraph any punches”.

The US has sent two carrier strike groups to the region since October 7, and has deployed hundreds of additional troops in the Middle East since the war began.

“We are engaging in intensive consultations with partners and allies over response options since this is an important issue for the international community,” Watson said on Friday.

Houthi officials said earlier this week that they would continue to target ships sailing close to Yemen as long as Israel continued its war on Hamas.

The Houthis have targeted at least 15 vessels since November 18, which they have said is retaliation for Israel’s Gaza campaign — although some vessels have had little or no recent connection to Israel.

Huge numbers of vessels have started rerouting away from the Red Sea since the attacks began and are opting to take an extra 3,200-mile journey around Africa rather than face the threat of an attack.

The Pentagon earlier this week announced a multinational task force called Operation Prosperity Guardian under which naval vessels and other assets will provide a shield against Houthi drone and missile attacks.

The US said that Iran had provided Houthis with financial support for their operations and that the militants had employed Iranian-style tactics in some of its operations, such as when they seized the Galaxy Leader vehicle carrier last month.

“The Houthis are replicating Iran’s longstanding strategy to seize civilian vessels in maritime choke points, as well as the specific tactics Iran has used, to include airlifting hijackers on to the vessel from helicopters with small boats providing security in their seizure of the Galaxy Leader in November,” Watson said.

The Houthis have also allegedly used Iranian KAS-04 drones, including some that were shot down by the American destroyer the USS Carney earlier this week, Watson said. The US had conducted visual analysis indicating “nearly identical features” shared by the Iranian drones and those the Houthis have used in recent attacks, she said.

The US said it also had intelligence indicating the Houthis fired Iranian medium-range ballistic missiles from Yemen towards Israel, as well as missiles that recently landed near a US destroyer. The Houthis have used other Iranian missiles to attack commercial shipping, Watson said.

“Iranian support to these Houthi operations remains critical.”

Written by: Felicia Schwartz in Washington

© Financial Times