The escalating assaults on commercial ships in the Red Sea by Houthi rebels are viewed as a coordinated and disconcerting strategy by Iran to “defeat the United States” and propagate the Iranian Islamic revolution, caution experts.
Bill Roggio, a senior fellow for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, emphasized that despite the appearance of non-hostility, a state of war exists between the Iranians, and their Houthi proxies, and the United States. “We are pretending we’re not at war. But the Iranians and the Houthis are at war with us,” he stated.
In the latest incident on Tuesday, Iran-backed militants carried out a fresh attack on a vessel in the Red Sea, a vital shipping route. The targeted vessel was a container ship traveling from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan, hit by naval missiles.
According to a senior U.S. military official, the Houthi rebels have executed over 100 attacks on 14 different commercial and merchant vessels in the Red Sea in the past month alone, as reported by CNN.
While the sinking of ships is a tangible consequence of these attacks, experts caution that it is not the primary objective. Instead, the assaults are seen as part of a broader strategy aimed at achieving Iran’s geopolitical goals, including challenging the United States and spreading its Islamic revolution in the region.
“The act of targeting itself is sufficient,” remarked a military expert, emphasizing the significance of the ongoing attacks on maritime vessels in the Red Sea.
The expert further highlighted the alarming aspect that the Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, are effectively controlling and dictating the transit of maritime vessels on the high seas. The expert expressed astonishment at this development, stating, “This is incredible, and the world seems powerless to stop it.” The assertion underscores the growing concern over the influence and impact of these targeted attacks on maritime activities in the region, portraying a worrisome challenge for international efforts to address and mitigate the situation.
Houthi forces stepped up attacks on vessels passing through the Bab al-Mandab Straits — the southernmost entry into the Red Sea and a vital corridor for commerce in the Mediterranean — after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza, claiming they were only targeting vessels bound for the Jewish nation. The escalating assaults
But the group has repeatedly fired on – and even boarded – ships without a clear connection to Israel.
The attacks have become such a problem that five of the world’s biggest shipping companies, including Maersk, BP, and MSC Mediterranean, have halted their operations in the Red Sea.
Dictating the terms of passage through one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes and disrupting trade across the world is the true aim of the Houthis – and part of an Iranian plot to expel the US from the Middle East, Roggio said.