Iran has warned the United States and the United Kingdom they are now “justified targets’ after claiming strikes on the Houthis represent a “declaration of war.”
Top Iranian diplomat Amid Saeid Iravani insisted that “any country engaging in this military aggression or subsequent hostilities may expose itself to potential danger.”
The Houthis have been attacking both military and civilian cargo ships crossing the Red Sea to pressure Israel into a ceasefire as they express their support to Hamas.
After multiple calls to stop their aggressive action, Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak on Friday green-lit a first air raid against Houthi infrastructure in Yemen.
Less than 24 hours later, the US military carried out another wave of strikes as Biden reiterated his country “will not tolerate” further attacks.
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In an exclusive interview with Newsweek, Iravani claimed Washington and London had committed a “flagrant violation of national sovereignty” and insisted their support for Israel would only cause the conflict to expand to other areas of the Middle East.
He said: “This military aggression is indicative of the success of the Israeli regime’s lobbying in Washington to draw the US into direct war and exacerbate the spill-over of conflicts to other parts of the region.”
When imposing the blockage, the Yemeni rebel group said only ships with Israeli links would be the target of their attacks.
However, Iravani hinted the recent strikes had changed the situation and now US and UK ships would likely become open targets of the Ansarullah Movement, the official name of the movement.
He added: “It has declared that all shipping lines in the Red Sea waterway are secure, except for vessels associated with Israel or engaged in the transportation of goods to or from Israel.
“This pronouncement positions Ansarullah Yemen as a proponent of humanitarian principles, seeking to defend the oppressed people of Palestine.
“However, in light of the recent aggression and as a prospective outcome, it is anticipated that any country engaging in this military aggression or subsequent hostilities may expose itself to potential danger, or to be considered as a justified operational target by the Ansarullah Movement.”
Washington has consistently said it wants to protect free navigation of the seas.
However, the Houthi actions have prompted the International Maritime Security Construct to issue a warning for ships transiting the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb.
The organisation says ships should choose routes as far from Yemeni waters as possible, travel at night and not stop, because that makes them an easier target.
