Iran’s Alborz warship has entered the Red Sea through the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, Iran’s Tasnim news agency has reported, at a time of heightened tensions over the globally important waterway.
“The Alborz destroyer entered the Red Sea … by passing through the Bab al-Mandeb” waterway at the southern tip of the Red Sea, connecting with the Gulf of Aden in the Indian Ocean, the news agency said on Monday.
It added that Iran’s naval fleet has been operating in the area “to secure shipping lanes, repel pirates, among other purposes since 2009”.
The United States in early December set up a multinational naval task force for the Red Sea following a flurry of missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels on merchant vessels, which led shipping companies to suspend passages through the now highly militarised area.
The Houthis say the attacks were in solidarity with Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip, where Israel is continuing a months-long bombardment campaign.
According to the International Chamber of Shipping, 12 percent of global trade passes through the Red Sea, which provides a shortcut past Africa via the Suez Canal.
The Tasnim report comes 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.
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