The creation of a multinational task force to secure the passage of merchant ships through the Red Sea, where major shipping companies have been forced to reroute their routes to avoid attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels.
Many Arab countries rely heavily on trade that flows through the Red Sea, from the Suez Canal in the north to the Bab alMandeb Strait, which Yemen borders in the south. The new military operation could expand the conflict in the Middle East.
Civil War
The Houthis are part of the socalled “Axis of Resistance,” a term that includes several allies in the Arab world, including Hezbollah and Hamas. The rebel group is one of the parties in Yemen's civil war, which began in 2014. The Iranbacked Houthis are also said to be linked to Hamas.
Last week, before the announcement of our American task force, Iranian Defense Minister Mohammed Reza Ashtiani warned against the formation of the maritime alliance, reaffirmed Iran's dominance over the Red Sea and rejected any maneuvers by external forces in the region. “The Red Sea is our region, we control it and no one can maneuver in it,” he explained.
In Tokyo, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator and deputy foreign minister Ali Bagheri Kani emphasized the importance of resistance forces for stability in the region.