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Published December 27, 2023, 6:38 PM ET
The Houthi rebels' increasing attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea are a concerted and disturbing attempt by Iran to “defeat the United States” and “spread the Iranian Islamic revolution,” experts warn.
“We pretend we’re not at war. But the Iranians and the Houthis are at war with us,” Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told The Post on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Iran-backed militants launched a fresh attack on another ship in the Red Sea – a key shipping artery – and targeted a container ship en route from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan with naval missiles.
The group launched at least 100 attacks on 14 different merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea last month, a senior US military official said last week, CNN reported.
But sinking ships is not the overarching goal of the attacks, said Roggio.
“The act of targeting alone is enough,” said the military expert.
“The Houthis and the Iranians are dictating the transit of maritime vessels on the high seas. This is unbelievable and the world seems powerless to stop it.”
An armed Houthi rebel aboard the cargo ship Galaxy Leader, which was hijacked by the Houthi extremist group in November. YAHYA ARHAB/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
After Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7 and the subsequent war in Gaza, Houthi forces increased their attacks on ships passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait – the southernmost entrance to the Red Sea and a key trade corridor in the Mediterranean only targeted ships destined for the Jewish nation.
But the group has repeatedly fired on ships and even boarded them without any clear connection to Israel.
The attacks have become such a problem that five of the world's largest shipping companies, including Maersk, BP and MSC Mediterranean, have suspended operations in the Red Sea.
Dictating the terms of passage through one of the world's most important shipping routes and disrupting global trade is the Houthis' real goal – and part of an Iranian plot to drive the US out of the Middle East, Roggio said.
“This is all part of a larger Iranian plan to defeat the United States and force the United States to abandon the Middle East so that it can spread the Iranian Islamic revolution in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.” To defeat Israel, to defeat the Saudis,” he explained.
“The Houthis are playing their part.”
An MSC Mediterranean cargo ship in the Suez Canal. The cargo line is one of several that have suspended operations in the Red Sea. MOHAMED HOSSAM/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The Houthis have controlled the Yemeni capital since 2015 and are waging a civil war against Saudi-backed forces in a bid to take complete control of the country.
They are just one of many extremist groups in the region – including Hamas and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah – that receive their support and marching orders from Iran and call themselves the “Axis of Resistance.”
“These are the militias, primarily Shiite militias, that are supported, supported, funded and trained by the Iranians. The Iraqi militias and the Syrian militias that are attacking U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria,” Roggio said.
If the Houthis manage to disrupt trade in the region significantly enough to force the United States to persuade Israel to abandon its campaign to completely destroy Hamas in Gaza, it would be a major victory for Iranian influence in the region World.
“If Hamas survives this war, it will be a defeat for Israel and a victory for the Axis of Resistance and a victory for Iran,” Roggio said.
“They will prove that Iran and its allies can influence the political outcome of the wars in the Middle East.”
A U.S. Navy ship intercepting missiles and drones fired by the Houthis in the Red Sea in October. US NAVY/AFP via Getty Images
The US has responded to escalating attacks in the Red Sea by deploying the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier group to the region as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian, which launched on December 18th.
On Tuesday, US forces fired a barrage of Houthi missiles and attack drones during a 10-hour attack in the Red Sea.
But Roggio warns that such a defensive strategy is useless without aggression.
He argued that the Biden administration's unwillingness to respond with force was a victory for Iran.
“We teach our enemies and adversaries that we are not serious and should not be taken seriously,” he said.
Instead of the US fearing escalation, Roggio added, Biden needs to make Iranians fear the US.
“We don’t need to wage a full-scale war with Iran. But we definitely have the ability to make the Iranians pay for it,” he stressed.
“If the Iranians want to play this game, you have to see through their bluff. Otherwise, just carry on. What they are now succeeding in is shutting down international shipping. How long are we going to deal with this?”
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