More generally, Tehran, which has repeatedly asked the United States to leave the region, clearly wants to avoid direct confrontation with U.S.
The announcement by Tasnim, which has close links to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, was typical hard-line Iranian grandstanding at a time when the United States was preparing to respond to the missile attacks. Importantly, the ships were dispatched on October 5, eight days before the Tasnim announcement. But that’s not the case.įirst, Iran’s Alvand and Bushehr warships were sent to patrol the Gulf of Aden (one of the world’s most important shipping routes), then on to Somalia followed by Tanzania on an anti-piracy patrol. strikes - and that the strikes could lead to greater Iranian involvement in Yemen. The timing of the report by Tasnim, which has close links to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, implied that the Iranian deployment was a response to the U.S. response coincided with a report by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency about Tehran’s deployment of its military vessels off Yemen. The Houthi rebels virulently denied carrying out the strikes. The missiles were launched from Houthi-controlled territory in the north of Yemen, but it’s still unclear by whom. A third attack, reported over the weekend, is under investigation. Both missiles failed to reach their targets.
action came after two of its ships came under two separate missile attacks near the Bab al-Mandab straits.