Iranian warship enters Red Sea amid tensions

Iran’s Alborz warship has entered the Red Sea, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Monday, 1 Jan, at a time of soaring tensions on the key shipping route amid the Israel-Hamas war and attacks on vessels by forces allied to Tehran. Tasnim did not give details of the Alborz’s mission but said Iranian warships had been operating in open waters to secure shipping routes, combat piracy and carry out other tasks since 2009.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have been targeting vessels in the Red Sea since Nov to show support for Hamas. The Alborz warship entered the Red Sea via the Bab al-Mandab Strait, Tasnim said, without saying when. There were unconfirmed reports on social media it arrived late on Saturday.

The Alvand class destroyer had been a part of the Iranian navy’s 34th fleet, alongside the Bushehr support vessel, and patrolled the Gulf of Aden, the north of the Indian Ocean and the Bab Al-Mandab Strait as far back as 2015, according to Iran’s Press TV. The state media announcement came a day after US Navy helicopters fired on Houthi rebels attempting to board a cargo ship off Yemen, with the rebels reporting 10 fighters dead.

Meanwhile, UK defence secretary Grant Shapps said Monday that Britain is “willing to take direct action” against Houthi rebels.He described the situation as “a test for the international community”. “If we do not protect the Red Sea, it risks emboldening those looking to threaten elsewhere including in the South China Sea and Crimea.”