Iran warns US not to strike ship ‘aiding Houthi attacks’
Tehran military issues alert about ‘floating armoury’ believed to providing intel to militants in Red Sea
IRAN has warned the US not to target a ship which officials believe is providing vital intelligence to the Houthis to enable their continued Red Sea attacks.
The Iran-backed proxy group, which claims its attacks are in support of Palestinians, has targeted commercial vessels in the region with drones and missiles, forcing shippers to change course and take longer routes around the southern tip of Africa.
Their attacks have prompted a barrage of strikes from the US and UK, which over the weekend launched another wave of bombings on Iranbacked proxy groups in Yemen.
On Sunday a video shared on the Iranian army’s Telegram channel put out a stark warning against “those engaging in terrorist activities against the MV Behshad or similar vessels, jeopardise international maritime routes, security and assume global responsibility for potential future international risks”.
The clip describes Behshad as a “floating armoury” involved in missions to “counteract piracy in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden”. Iran is not known to have taken part in any recent anti-piracy campaigns in the region.
The clip ends with footage of what appear to be ships in a US carrier group flashing red as though they are being targeted before a man lowers a US flag.
The Behshad is registered as a commercial cargo ship owned by Tehran-based firm the Rahbaran Omid Darya Ship Management Company, which has been sanctioned by the US Treasury over concerns it is a front for the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines.
Three official sources told NBC News the ship provides intelligence to the Houthis which allows them to spot and target vessels in the Red Sea.
Asked about the vessel, Maj Gen Patrick Ryder, the defence department press secretary, said he was not “aware” of the US targeting the Beshad, adding: “We are very well aware of the ship.”
Rear Admiral Marc Miguez, the commander of the Dwight D Eisenhower aircraft carrier strike group which is currently safeguarding the region, said the Houthis are receiving help to strike cargo vessels.
“They are using intelligence from Iran to give them some targeting information,” he said.
Meanwhile, Michael Knights, an analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a pro-israel think tank, said: “The ships pretend to be anti-piracy garrison ships that Iranian and Syrian shipping can visit, but actually they are transshipment points for Iranian weapons.
“The Behshad and its sister vessel Safiz are also loaded with Iranian electronic intelligence equipment used to locate target vessels for the Houthis to strike,” he added.
According to shipping tracking data, the vessel had remained in the same area south of the Red Sea between Yemen and Eritrea since January 2023.
In January it sailed towards the Gulf of Eden and moved around the Bab al-mandeb strait, a stretch of water at
‘Wherever the Behshad goes happens to be more or less where the Houthis are targeting their attacks’
the entrance to the Red Sea, from where it would be possible to monitor traffic passing through the region.
The vessel was reportedly miles away when Houthi rebels launched attacks on several vessels. It retreated to a position near a Chinese-owned port off the coast of Djibouti shortly before the US airstrikes on Iranian targets in Iraq and Syria last Friday.
Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute think tank, said: “Wherever the Behshad goes happens to be more or less where the Houthis happen to be targeting their anti-ship ballistic missiles, suicide drones and suicide boats.”
Ali Vaez, the Iran project director at the International Crisis Group think tank said: “Iran has seen the writing on the wall, that this could be a potential target for future US military action.”
In December, Adrienne Watson, a White House national security spokesman, said Iran was “deeply involved in planning the operations against commercial vessels in the Red Sea”.