The armed group said it carried out its attack on the Ocean Jazz in response to US and British attacks on Houthi positions.
The US has rejected a claim by Yemen's Houthi rebels that they attacked the US military cargo ship Ocean Jazz in the Gulf of Aden.
“Iran-backed Houthi terrorists' report of an alleged successful attack on the M/V Ocean Jazz is patently false,” U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said in a statement on Monday. “NAVCENT maintained constant communication with M/V Ocean Jazz throughout the safe transit.”
The Iran-aligned armed group, which controls large parts of Yemen, did not provide any information about when and where exactly the attack took place or whether any damage was caused.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces reiterate that retaliation against American and British attacks is inevitable and that any new aggression will not go unpunished,” the Houthis said earlier in a statement.
British maritime security firm Ambrey said the ship named by the Houthis on Monday was contracted by the US military.
US and UK forces have launched attacks against Houthi forces across Yemen in recent weeks in response to months of Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea, which the Iran-backed fighters say was a response to Israel's war on Gaza be.
Since November, the Houthis have attacked dozens of merchant ships on the Red Sea, disrupting international maritime trade.
The group initially said it was attacking ships linked to Israel, but has since expanded its targets to include ships linked to the US and Britain. The Houthis say their attacks in the Red Sea are part of their support for the Palestinians, who have been besieged and bombarded by Israeli forces in Gaza for more than three months.
Israel's bombing and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 25,000 people, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian officials in the territory.
Israel launched the attack, imposing a siege on the Gaza Strip after Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,139 people, according to an Al Jazeera tally based on official Israeli statistics. About 240 other people were taken as prisoners during the attack.
So far, Houthi activity has focused on the narrow Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea. About 50 ships travel through the strait every day to and from the Suez Canal – a key artery for global maritime trade.
Some of the world's largest shipping companies have suspended transit traffic in the region, forcing ships to circumnavigate South Africa's Cape of Good Hope.