Iran warns US taskforce coalition to face 'problems' in Red Sea
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Iran's Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani stresses that no foreign entity can lay a hand or dock a boat in a region "where we have predominance," taking a jab at the US.
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Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, seen here in an undated photo. (Iranian state media)
According to the official Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) on Thursday, Iran's Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani declared that the suggested US-backed multinational task force to allegedly protect shipping in the Red Sea is due to find itself facing "extraordinary problems".
"If they make such an irrational move, they will be faced with extraordinary problems," Ashtiani said, without specifying what actions would be taken in response to the US move.
This comes in light of US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirming to reporters last week that the US is discussing with "other countries" the formation of a "maritime task force ... to ensure safe passage of ships in the Red Sea".
In response, Yemeni Ansar Allah Political Bureau member Abdul-Malik al-Ajri said on Wednesday, "There is no way of preventing the escalation except by moving towards a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip."
Read more: US threatens to thwart peace plan for Yemen amid Red Sea operations
He also stressed that even if all the naval fleets on Earth gathered in the Red Sea, they "would not bring security to Israel or Israeli ships, not to any ships heading to [Israel]."
من الجيد ما نلمسه من ادراك لبعض الأطراف الدولية أنه ما من سبيل لمنع توسع التصعيد سيما في البحر الأحمر إلا بالدفع نحو وقف اطلاق نار دائم ورفع الحصار عن غزة ،وعلى من لم من يصل لمثل هذه القناعة- حتى الآن- أن يدرك جيدا أن أساطيل الارض لو احتشدت الى البحر الأحمر لن تجلب الأمان…
— عبدالملك العجريAbdulmalik Alejri (@alejri77) December 13, 2023
The "National Security Council of Israel" urgently directed ports to eliminate details about ship arrivals and departures from their websites, as reported by Globes.
The Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) announced a new equation earlier this week following a US veto on a ceasefire in Gaza at the UNSC meeting, which added ships heading to "Israel", regardless of their nationality, to the ban, and expanding its scope to the Arabian Sea as well the Red Sea.
Ansar Allah not to be underestimated
The Yemeni Armed Forces announced on December 9 the introduction of a new actionable decision in support of Gaza, which will see the prohibition of all ships bound to the occupation entity, regardless of their nationality, from passing through the Arabian and Red seas until food and medicine sufficient to the needs of the population enter the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree declared that this prohibition was "effective immediately", noting that Sanaa, "out of its commitment to the safety of maritime navigation, warns all ships and companies against dealing with Israeli ports."
The Yemeni Armed Forces vowed to continue their operations against "Israel" until it ceases its aggression on Gaza and its crimes against the Palestinian people.
With that being said, former Israeli occupation Navy Commander Eliezer Marom stressed last Sunday that the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement must not be underestimated, calling for them to be dealt with seriously, Israeli Channel 12 reported.
Talking to the Israeli news channel, Marom revealed that he had said this before "to those who should hear it within the military establishment" and that the Yemenis "must not be underestimated. We are familiar with them."
