Iran sent the US a warning on Sunday about possible strikes on two cargo ships in the Middle East that are long-believed to be Iranian commandos' forward operating bases. The announcement followed significant bombings by the US and the UK against the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Iran's announcement on the Behshad and Saviz ships seemed to indicate Tehran's growing disquiet at US bombings on Islamic Republic-backed militias in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq in recent days. The capital city of Sanaa was one of six Houthi-held districts in Yemen that saw attacks overnight on Sunday. According to the US, the attacks damaged helicopters, launch pads, and underground missile arsenals.
According to Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a spokesperson for the Houthi military, "these strikes will not dissuade Yemeni troops and the country from continuing their support for Palestinians in the face of the Zionist occupation and atrocities." "Airstrikes by the aggressors will not go unanswered." "They will continue to suffer greater repercussions if they do not halt their unlawful assaults on foreign trade and navy vessels," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin threatened the Houthis after the strikes.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron repeated the message when he said, "The Houthi assaults must cease." Jake Sullivan, President Biden's national security advisor, also issued a warning that the attacks may go on.
The US Treasury Department has sanctioned a Tehran-based firm that is a front for the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, and that corporation is where the Behshad and Saviz are registered as commercial cargo ships, according to the AP.
Suspected to be acting as spies for Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, the Saviz and subsequently the Behshad have been lingering in the Red Sea near Yemen for years. The regular army of Iran released a video statement on Sunday, in which the announcer refers to the boats as "floating armories" for the first time.
Iran's announcement on the Behshad and Saviz ships seemed to indicate Tehran's growing disquiet at US bombings on Islamic Republic-backed militias in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq in recent days. The capital city of Sanaa was one of six Houthi-held districts in Yemen that saw attacks overnight on Sunday. According to the US, the attacks damaged helicopters, launch pads, and underground missile arsenals.
According to Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a spokesperson for the Houthi military, "these strikes will not dissuade Yemeni troops and the country from continuing their support for Palestinians in the face of the Zionist occupation and atrocities." "Airstrikes by the aggressors will not go unanswered." "They will continue to suffer greater repercussions if they do not halt their unlawful assaults on foreign trade and navy vessels," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin threatened the Houthis after the strikes.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron repeated the message when he said, "The Houthi assaults must cease." Jake Sullivan, President Biden's national security advisor, also issued a warning that the attacks may go on.
The US Treasury Department has sanctioned a Tehran-based firm that is a front for the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, and that corporation is where the Behshad and Saviz are registered as commercial cargo ships, according to the AP.
Suspected to be acting as spies for Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, the Saviz and subsequently the Behshad have been lingering in the Red Sea near Yemen for years. The regular army of Iran released a video statement on Sunday, in which the announcer refers to the boats as "floating armories" for the first time.
