(Tehran) Iran on Saturday rejected US accusations of its involvement in recent attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels against commercial ships in the Red Sea.
“The resistance (armed groups fighting against Israel, Editor’s note), has its own forces and acts according to its own decisions and capabilities,” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri told the local agency Mehr.
According to Mehr, the diplomat was reacting to “Western claims” according to which Tehran was “informing” the Yemeni Houthis of “the location of American ships”.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said the United States had already asked Iran to advise Yemeni rebels not to act against American and Israeli interests in the region.
“We have made it clear to the Americans that these groups acted according to their interests […] “, declared the minister during a conference organized on Saturday to support the Palestinians.
“We have not ordered them and will not order them to stop the attacks,” he continued.
Claiming to act in support of the Palestinians of Hamas in their war against Israel, the Yemeni rebels, supported by Tehran, have in recent weeks claimed several attacks against commercial ships linked, according to them, to Israel.
On Friday, the White House accused Iran of being “heavily involved in planning” recent attacks by Houthi rebels by providing them with “sophisticated military equipment” and “intelligence assistance.”
On Saturday, a drone struck a commercial ship in the Indian Ocean and caused damage but no injuries, according to two shipping agencies, with one saying the ship was linked to Israel. Responsibility for this strike was not immediately established.
According to the Pentagon, the Houthis, who control swaths of Yemeni territory, including the capital Sanaa, have launched more than 100 drone and missile attacks, targeting 10 merchant ships involving more than 35 different countries.