Responding to the escalation of violence in Yemen’s civil war, Iran has declared a naval response to the US and Saudi Arabia off the Yemeni coast.
Iranian officials said a naval frigate and a support ship were despatched to the Gulf of Aden on October 5 “to protect trade vessels from piracy”.
They said that the ships will later travel to Tanzania and South Africa and into the Atlantic Ocean.
The officials did not explain why the deployment was not announced at the time. Instead, it appears that the timing is connected to events in the past week.
On Saturday more than 140 people were killed in an attack, reportedly by Saudi warplanes, on a funeral reception in the Yemeni capital Sana’a. Some pro-Saudi outlets claimed that top officials of the Ansar al-Allah (Houthi) movement were killed; however, the Saudi military officially denied any involvement.
See Yemen Feature: 140+ Killed by Saudi Bombing of Funeral
On Sunday and again on Wednesday, missiles were fired at a US warship off the coast. The Americans responded with three missile strikes on radar installations on Thursday.
See Yemen Feature: US Intervenes With Cruise Missile Strikes
Yemen Feature: A Guide to the Civil War
Iran has denied any direct military support of the Houthis, who consolidated control over Sana’a in early 2015 and forced the Hadi Government to flee to the southern port city of Aden. Saudi Arabia, leading a coalition of states, intervened with airstrikes and ground forces in March 2015.
Since then, more than 9,000 civilians have been killed. Many are also at risk of malnutrition and even famine, in part of a blockade by the Saudi-led coalition.
